Riverhead, New York – An egregious case centering around a New York woman torturing dogs and cats in front of her children, and spurring the creation of an animal abuse registry in Suffolk County, pleaded guilty today. Sharon McDonough, 45 pleaded guilty to a 13 count indictment which included animal abuse and child endangerment.

Six charges were Class A misdemeanors for endangering the welfare of a child, two felony charges for aggravated cruelty to two animals and five misdemeanor animal cruelty charges were announced. Suffolk County Court Judge C.Randall Hinrichs will sentence McDonough on March 28, 2011. McDonough has been in custody since December 2009 in lieu of $100,000 bail. Her jail time will count toward her jail sentence.

In 2009, investigators discovered 42 dogs buried in McDonoughs backyard in Selden, Long Island. She admitted to torturing and killing the dogs and cats she allegedly rescued from local humane centers in front of her children; her youngest child only one-year-old at the time. Prosecutors called McDonoughs home a concentration camp for the animals.

McDonoughs oldest son, Douglas turned his mother into authorities. The other children are under the care and protection of family court.

District Attorney Thomas Spota will recommend to the court that McDonough serve consecutive time for the two counts of aggravated animal cruelty. The maximum sentence for each count is two years in prison.

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