Amber Willard
GLENDALE -- A Glendale man who says he was paid $200 to act like a man
obsessed with killing small animals claims his call to Howard Stern's
morning radio show had nothing to do with recent cat killings in
Hawthorne.
Officials have said they suspected Harry Artin Berberian's call to the
show June 22 may have been connected to as many as 25 cat mutilations in
the city.
Berberian, an actor and producer who provides off-the-wall guests for
radio shows, created a character, Peter, who called the New York-based
Stern show and said he had killed more than 30 children's pets and then
consoled the grieving children.
"They thought it was completely real," Berberian said of the
unsuspecting Stern and his show cohorts.
Berberian, who has run Electric Eel Entertainment for five years, said
he provided the character at the request of the New York station.
Berberian stressed that Stern and his on-air colleagues knew nothing
about the hoax.
Stern's producers were unavailable for comment. Hawthorne Police did
not return calls for comment Thursday.
Berberian said he had not been contacted by Hawthorne authorities.
Hawthorne residents started finding dead cats, often with their heads
and paws cut off, in their frontyards a few weeks ago. Berberian's
character, in his 30-minute call that was broadcast on a Los Angeles
station that carries Stern's show, said he was a Christian who killed the
animals because people too often take refuge in their pets rather than
each other.
The Glendale resident's timing couldn't have been worse. Hawthorne
Police received their first report of a cat mutilation July 1.
"I actually love animals -- I want a pug," Berberian said, adding that
station workers told him his call generated high ratings for the show.
However, he may not work for the station again.
"I may have lost my job with Stern because of all the bad press,"
Berberian said.
