Horse Killing Indictment

The two college students arrested on October 19 and accused of killing a horse were indicted yesterday by the Brazos County grand jury on one count each of cruelty to animals and criminal mischief. (I have an earlier post about this matter here.)

According to today’s report in The Bryan-College Station Eagle, each charge “is a state jail felony punishable by up to two years of incarceration.”

I am today mailing a letter to the Brazos County district attorney to thank him for bringing these charges and for securing the indictment in this senseless and sickening act of animal cruelty. Given the horribleness of this crime, I am also asking him to seek the maximum fine and jail time if these two individuals are convicted.

There’s another critical component, however, that should be a part of the penalty for this crime: psychological counseling, including anger management.

A majority of the states today provide for the court to order those convicted of cruelty to animals to undergo psychological counseling, and at least 30 states use a psychological intervention program for animal abusers over the age of 17 called the AniCare Model of Treatment for Animal Abuse.

Texas law, however, only mandates psychological counseling in animal abuse cases for minors. Given the clearly established correlation between animal abuse and family and other forms of community violence, Texas needs to mandate such counseling for everyone, not just minors, convicted of crimes against animals.

Despite no legal requirement in this case to do so, I am also asking the district attorney to push for psychological counseling as a part of the penalty in this matter.

Please join with me in urging the district attorney to push for these measures. He can be contacted as follows (sorry, but there isn’t any web site for his office):

The Honorable Bill Turner
Brazos County District Attorney
300 E. 26th Street, Suite 310
Bryan, Texas 77803
Phone: 979-361-4320