Grace Kelly House cat hoarder’s attempt to change plea denied

The East Falls woman who was convicted of multiple counts of animal cruelty lost her bid to withdraw an earlier plea of no contest.

On Wednesday, Marjorie Bamont, 82, returned to the courtroom of Judge Joan Brown in an attempt to overturn a sentence that was handed down by the judge in April.

The back story

As reported by NewsWorks, Bamont pleaded no contest to more than a dozen counts of animal cruelty, stemming from a well-publicized removal of the pets from her custody in October. Bamont’s Henry Avenue residence is notable for being the childhood home of Grace Kelly.

While Bamont was allowed in April to regain custody of two of her cats, she was ordered to forfeit her dog and 12 additional cats and pay $7,000 in restitution to the Pennsylvania Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

Bamont agreed to regular inspections by the PSPCA and was prohibited from obtaining new animals for a period of 42 months. She subsequently filed a motion to withdraw her no-contest plea.

Sentence upheld

On Wednesday, Brown denied the motion and upheld the sentence.

Attorney Andrew David Montroy was listed on court records as Bamont’s attorney. He was not immediately available for comment on Thursday.

In light of the ruling, the PSPCA, which issued a media release about the developments, is eager to find homes for the forfeited animals.

“We are gratified by the Court’s decision to deny the motion and bring this case to a close,” said PSPCA CEO Jerry Buckley in a statement. “Thirteen pets have been in our care since October and we can now focus on placing them in good homes. We are proud of the work our officers and veterinary staff performed to improve the quality of life for these animals and are hopeful that the Court’s restitution order will be satisfied.”