New Haven v. Thomas Hogg

New Haven v. Thomas Hogg
New Haven v. Thomas Hogg
Court	New Haven Colony Court
Decided	1647
Verdict	Guilty of lying and stealing; Sodomy charge dropped due to lack of evidence;
Charge	Sodomy; Lying; Stealing;
Case history
Subsequent actions	Sentenced to flogging and imprisonment

New Haven v. Thomas Hogg was a criminal case which took place in New Haven Colony in 1647. Hogg was accused of bestiality when a neighbourhood sow gave birth to piglets that allegedly resembled him. Unlike several men and boys convicted of the crime and consequently hanged in the 1640s and ensuing decades, Hogg refused to confess, thus avoiding the death penalty. Called "the most interesting buggery case" ever, it left an enduring mark in the history of capital punishment.