HAMMOND, Ind. (STNG) -- A northwest Indiana man charged with downloading bestiality images and videos pleaded not guilty Wednesday but will remain in jail while awaiting trial.
Michael Bessigano of Hobart did not contest a government motion to keep him in federal custody at a hearing Wednesday. The 37-year-old was jailed last month after his probation officer discovered animal sex images on his computer, a violation of his parole for the 2001 killing of a chicken in a Valparaiso hotel.
Wearing a black T-shirt, jeans and manacles, Bessigano stared intently through a pair of wrap-around sunglasses at his court-appointed attorney, John Martin, before answering questions from Judge Paul R. Cherry.
Asked how he would plead, Bessigano tilted his head to Martin, then said, "Not guilty."
Bessigano, who wears sunglasses to protect a damaged retina, has a long history of stealing and killing animals, and has admitted to having sex with them.
Most recently, he served five years in prison for killing a chicken in Valparaiso. Previously, he had been jailed for killing a neighbor's dog, and -- in separate incidents -- a prize rooster and goose that belonged to other neighbors.
Martin said based on records from his previous trials and conversations with his client, he believes Bessigano is competent to assist in his defense. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bernard Van Wormer rescinded a motion for a competency evaluation.
Martin and Van Wormer both declined comment after the hearing.
In court hearings in his previous trials, Bessigano's mother has said he is schizophrenic and the family has struggled to get him adequate treatment. Bessigano once told investigators he feels he is "an animal trapped in a human's body."
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