NATION - Man Held in Killings of 77 Cats

Police charged a law school graduate with torturing and killing 77 cats he obtained through free-kitten newspaper advertisements, and authorities said today that if convicted he could get up to 77 years in prison.

Mitchell Munoz, 34, of De Kalb County was arrested Thursday after police were tipped by an employee of a photo-processing plant who saw pictures of the suspect executing the animals in his apartment.

Before making the arrest, officers said they discovered photographs of dead kittens, three severed cat tails under a bathroom sink and diaries documenting when the cats were acquired, how they behaved and what was done to them. A nylon rope hanging from the bathroom shower rod--used to hang kittens--also was found, officers said.