A heartland couple denies the animal cruelty charges filed against them. John Rosen and Holly Perrigo were in court on Wednesday and we spoke with Perrigo afterwards.

Rosen and Perrigo were arrested for allegedly torturing a pet kitten and then dissecting the animal.

Perrigo says, "John and my dad told me to keep my mouth shut and not talk to the news but I figure my story, mine and John's story, actually deserves to be told."

Perrigo says she wants to set the record straight and clear up any misconceptions about the beliefs to which she and John Rosen adhere.

She says, "Being pagan, it's against pagan tradition to hurt an animal."

But authorities say that happened to the couple's kitten.

Neighbors called police because they thought a child was hurt. When police learned a cat had died, the Humane Society was brought in.

The Humane Society's Mark Langan says, "It was difficult for the Humane Society veterinarian to do a necropsy on the corpse of the animal because a lot of it was missing because it was dissected by Mr. Rosen and placed in Tupperware."

Perrigo says the kitten's name was Kalinka.

In court, Rosen's attorney said his client was trying to put the kitten out of its misery. Perrigo says Rosen didn't touch Kalinka but both saw the remains.

"It just totally repulsed me," Perrigo told us. "Made me sick to my stomach."

According to court documents, Rosen told investigators the kitten had a bloated stomach. Perrigo says Kalinka's neck was broken. Both say they tried to get help from the Humane Society but were turned away.

Nebraska Humane Society officials say that's not true. They say helping injured animals is their top priority.

What is still not clear is how, according to Perrigo's account, the cat was injured in the first place.