Animal cruelty charges have been dropped against two women who had been accused of taking part in an animal torture pornographic video in South Florida.
Stephanie Hird and Sara Zamora won't face any charges connected to the video, prosecutors said in Miami-Dade court Thursday. Hird had been facing five counts of animal cruelty while Zamora had been facing eight counts.
Both Hird and Zamora had pleaded not guilty.
Hird's attorneys said they believe the charges were dropped because prosecutors ran out of time and the case was now outside the scope of limitations for the crimes which allegedly occured in 2006 and 2007.
Zamora had been charged in April for her role in a video called "SOS Barn," according to The Miami Herald, which first reported the story.
The video shows her and other pornographic actresses torturing and killing chickens, rabbits and other animals for the “sexual gratification of its viewers,” according to police.
In one clip of “SOS Barn,” police said Zamora is seen groping a man’s genitals with one hand while cutting a chicken’s neck with hedge clippers with her other hand, the Herald reported. She also karate-chopped the necks of several rabbits and admitted to killing them, the Herald reported.
Videos that depict animal torture and death is illegal under Florida law.
Miami-Dade detectives learned about the video from animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
