LONG BEACH, Calif. (AP) — A Long Beach man who kicked a cat to death has been sentenced to two years behind bars.

Prosecutors say Steven Ullery was sentenced Tuesday on a felony count of animal cruelty. He pleaded guilty after jurors deadlocked in a case involving three cat deaths.

Authorities began investigating the 24-year-old after he and his wife returned two dead cats to an animal shelter in 2013 and requested a refund. Investigators found that he returned three dead cats to another animal hospital.

A Los Angeles County prosecutor says Ullery told investigators he had kicked one of the cats because it bit him. He said he strangled a second cat because he thought it was having a seizure so he put it out of his misery.