Police: Neighbor Feud Led To Fatal Shooting Of Horse, Suspect Faces Felony Charges In Court
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WASHINGTON, Pa. (KDKA) -- A man charged with shooting and killing his neighbor's horse in Washington County appeared in court Thursday to face the felony charges against him.
Jasper, the Gypsy Stallion, was Stacey Guth's prized possession. But an ongoing feud with her neighbor came to a head when Jasper was found shot to death.
For Guth, Thursday's hearing was painful. She was reliving the loss of her dream horse.
"It hurts so bad," said Guth. "It brings out such pain, such emotions."
Her neighbor, Timothy Cain, is charged with felony counts of aggravated animal cruelty and torture.
Police say Cain and Guth had been feuding about Jaspar. Cain claims Jasper was wandering onto his property and even impregnated his mare. Regardless, Jasper turned up dead on property owned by Cain in West Virginia.
"The horse was shot with a shotgun, we believe," said Trooper Adam Janosko, of Pennsylvania State Police. "Two times. Once in the jaw and once in the neckline, severing multiple vertebrae."
Cain's attorney waived his preliminary hearing Thursday, but offered a possible defense outside the courtroom.
Defense Attorney Joe Pometto: "If my life was threatened by a horse, I might act in a certain manner."
KDKA's Paul Martino: "Is that what you are contending happened in this case?"
Pometto: "I'm not contending anything right now, but it's something to think about."
Meanwhile, Guth says it's an opportunity to reflect on the treatment of animals.
"Just think about all the other animals out there that are tormented, in any way, and the cruelty to them. And that we could find peace. And that those little animals could find peace," she said.
This case now heads to Common Pleas Court in the City of Washington. It becomes one of the first-ever prosecuted under a new state law that makes animal cruelty a felony.
Cain could face time in jail.
