Husband Pleads Guilty in Dead Animals Case

In January 2012, Howard County Police discovered dozens of dead animals in a townhouse on Lambeth Court in Columbia. There were 19 found in a freezer—including birds, rabbits and a guinea pig— and another 21 were found lying around the home—more birds, cats, rabbits and a snake, police said.

In September, Elizabeth Lindenau, the former operator of a bird rescue organization, was found not guilty of leaving the animals to die in the home, after a lengthy trial in which her husband took responsibility for the animals' deaths.

On Monday, Brady Decker, Lindenau's husband, pleaded guilty to six counts of animal cruelty for failing to provide food and water for the animals left in the home. Decker had no previous criminal record.

Decker addressed the court and said the animals' deaths were "an enormous tragedy for which I take full responsibility" according to Wayne Kirwan, a spokesperson for the Howard County state's attorney's office.

After the plea, Decker, 40, was sentenced to three years of probation and 150 hours of community service. He must also submit to a psychological evaluation, continue mental health treatment and allow Howard County Animal Control to inspect or supervise any animals in his home in the 9400 block of Hundred Drums Row in Columbia.

As of September, Lindenau and Decker still lived together in the Hundred Drums Row house. According to court testimony during Lindenau's case, the couple was in the process of moving out of the Lambeth Court townhouse when the animals died. Lindenau said she moved out of the house in April of 2011 after a dispute with a neighbor and only returned once after that—in August—before the animals were found dead. At the time, the Hundred Drums Row house was owned by Lindenau's parents. The two homes were about a 10-minute drive apart.

Between April 2011 and December 2011 Decker testified that he took care of the animals, but after a beloved cockatoo died in December he didn't return to the home. By that time the power and water had been shut off in the townhouse due to the couple's failure to the pay the bills.

Police entered the home on Jan. 16, 2012 and found the dead animals. That night Lindenau testified she had to admit Decker into a hospital behavioral/psychiatric unit where he stayed for seven days.

Lindenau's attorney testified during the closing arguments of her trial that Decker was overwhelmed with holding down a full-time job and taking care of the animals. The attorney said he snapped and was too afraid to explain to his wife what happened.

"[Decker] knew the implications on his wife and marriage as a result of what he did," said Lindenau's attorney Jonathon Smith.

The guilty plea wraps up a lengthy case that delved into Lindenau's collection of a wide variety of animals, largely birds taken in after their owners couldn't care for them.

During the trial, it was noted she was keeping over 40 birds at a friends house, while the Hundred Drums Row home and the Lambeth Court townhouse also housed a variety of animals.