Ohio man admits to paying for, sending monkey torture videos
A Licking County man admitted in federal court in Columbus to creating and distributing videos showing the abuse of monkeys.
Ronald Bedra, 42, of Etna, pleaded guilty in April in U.S. District Court to charges of conspiracy to create and distribute animal crush videos and distribution of animal crush videos. The case was unsealed Monday.
According to court records, Bedra admitted to conspiring with others to create videos that showed monkeys being tortured, including having parts of their body severed and being sexually abused.
Court records said Bedra used the screen name "DemonSwordSoulCrusher" and moderated an online panel called "Million Tears," where the videos were shared and discussed.
Bedra or other members of the group would send money to people in Indonesia with specific instructions for what should be done to a monkey, called crushing, according to court records. The videographer in Indonesia would then obtain a monkey and "subject the animal to the acts requested while filming."
Court records said Bedra participated in this activity through other message groups and private messages with at least five other people outside of Ohio between October 2021 and March 2022.
Bedra paid a coconspirator $20 for a video in October 2021 that involved a heated screwdriver being placed inside the anus of a monkey while the monkey was being filmed, court records said.
In August 2021, Bedra also sent a thumb drive to a person in Wisconsin that contained 64 videos of monkey torture, according to court records.
A sentencing date for Bedra has not yet been set, according to court records.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ronald Bedra admits to paying for, sending monkey torture videos
