Gruesome Details Emerge in Ritualistic Guinea Pig Killing

GROSSE ILE, MI — Two Grosse Ile High School lacrosse players accused of a ritualistic killing of a guinea pig last spring were ordered to stand trial Monday, according to media reports.

Tanner Coolsaet, 18, and Michael Roth, 17, are both charged with two counts each of killing/torturing an animal, and conspiracy to kill/torture an animal. Both charges are felonies that carry a maximum of four years in prison and a $5,000 fine for each count.

Roth is charged as an adult, and a third teen, a 16-year-old boy, is also charged with torturing an animal and animal cruelty in this case, will face a judge in a pre-trial conference on Sept. 7 at 3 p.m. at the Lincoln Hall of Justice in Detroit.

Gruesome details of the killing of the guinea pig emerged from teammates who testified in preliminary hearing in 33rd District Court in Woodhaven Monday. According to witness testimony, Roth, Coolsaet and the 16-year-old arranged for a group of 10 players to meet at Grosse Ile High School at 11:30 a.m. on April 30 and then go to a nearby beach.

One of the witnesses, who is a juvenile, testified that Coolsaet, Roth, and another juvenile in the case wanted to sacrifice the guinea pig to bring good luck to the team for their next lacrosse match against West Bloomfield, but that some of the players felt differently.

“A lot of us didn’t want to kill it,” one witness said, according to The Detroit News. “We said we should keep it as a pet.”

Witnesses said the group was divided on whether or not the animal would live or die, and that someone in the group recommended letting the guinea pig decide its own fate.

The animal was placed on a table and surrounded by the boys.

The Detroit Free Press reported that if the guinea pig crawled to the group who wanted it to live, the animal would be spared, and if the animal went to the group who wanted it to be killed, then the animal would be sacrificed.

When the animal went toward the group who wanted to sacrifice the animal, Roth allegedly hit the animal in the back of its head with a small bat, while another team allegedly stabbed the animal.

Another witness testified that some of the boys in the group dipped their fingers in the animal’s blood and painted their faces with it. According to the testimony, one of the defendants even dipped his tongue in the animal’s blood on the table.

After testimony was offered, District Court Judge James Kersten said there was enough evidence to send Coolsaet and Roth to trial.

“The evidence in this case does show probable cause that the defendants (broke the law) by killing a guinea pig on April 30, 2016,” Kersten said.

Kersten continued their $5,000 personal bonds. The two teens are free, but are not to have contact with any animal aside from family pets.

The pair will appear for on Aug. 29 in Wayne County Circuit Court.

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