Saving animals was Michelline Toulose’s calling. At least, that is what her friends and family believed.
But Toulouse kept a dark secret that, once discovered, sickened those who thought they knew her best. Inside her Sunrise condo in May 2021, rescuers found cats. Dozens of cats. More than 60, including nine that were dead. Toulouse, 39, had abandoned the house months earlier.
Now her fate lies in the hands of Broward Circuit Judge Ari Porth, who is tasked with deciding whether to sentence her to as much as 60 years in prison or show her the mercy she did not show the animals who had the misfortune of coming into her care. Toulouse pleaded no contest to a dozen charges of aggravated animal cruelty, a felony, and one count of cruelty to animals, a misdemeanor.
Family members took the stand to defend her as a person, but they could not defend the conduct that landed her in court.
“She found her calling caring for animals, particularly feral cats,” said her father, Emery Toulouse. “Her dedication was not done for money or for personal gain … She gave more than she was capable of giving.”
But it was less than the animals deserved, he admitted.
By the time the rescue group Saving Sage Animal Rescue Foundation entered the flea-infested unit, the stench was overwhelming. The surviving cats were described as emaciated, hiding in fear. Some of the dead cats had been partially consumed by the living.
“There was no ‘clean’ area inside the residence in any room for the cats to not be in contact with their feces,” police wrote in their first report after they reviewed the scene.
Toulouse sobbed in her chair as witnesses described the squalor.
All she had to do was ask for help, said her former friend, Jessica Delcueto, a volunteer from Saving Sage who said she is still recovering from what she saw in the condo unit.
“We can help you. We’re not going to judge you,” she recalled telling Toulouse as it became clear Toulouse was unable to handle the burden of her growing fixation on “helping” feral cats. “She looked us right in the eye and lied to our faces” saying she had the situation under control, Delcueto said.
The case is being handled in Broward’s Mental Health Court, which is designed to handle cases where the defendant’s competency has been in question and long-term treatment is necessary.
In addition to her mental health issues, Toulouse suffered from drug addiction and was trapped in an abusive relationship with a long-term boyfriend, Porth was told.
As of late Wednesday afternoon, Porth had not issued a ruling.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.