24 year old Justin Teixeira is a California law student with a weird –could only happen in Las Vegas- story, that ended in the decapitation of an exotic bird. Court documents show that Teixeira and his classmate from UC Berkeley, Eric Cuellar were charged with “felony animal torture and killing another person’s animal in October 2012,” according to Fox News.
A surveillance video recorded the two chasing birds into trees that were a part of the Flamingo Hotel and Casino’s Wildlife Habitat. Someone on the scene saw them next carrying the body and head of the bird out from the trees. This past January, Cuellar pled guilty to “a misdemeanor charge of torture, injuring, abandoning or starving an animal.”
Initially, Teixeira intended on going to trial based on his charges, but this past June he put in his guilty plea. It is noted that some time in the future, the bird killing law student could get probation, fines, or even jail time. A judge has ruled that Justin Teixeira go to High Desert Prison boot camp for a period of 180 days. This boot camp punishment will occur before his sentencing will officially happen by the middle of next April. It is possible that Teixeira may also be sentenced to only probation if he completes the boot camp.
The bird, whose life was sadly ended by the California law student, was a helmeted guinea fowl, named Turk. The very cute helmeted guinea fowl is on average an almost 2 feet long bird with a football shaped body and a small colorful head. They weight almost 3 pounds and they are mainly colored gray-black with what looks like tiny white polka dots.
Though the bird’s life was tragically shortened, it is hoped that the guinea fowl has moved onto a better place. Animal rights groups however are unforgiving and are angered at the callous behavior of the students who apparently saw the Hangover Trilogy and took things too far and too literally. Animal cruelty protests are being held at the Regional Justice Center and animal rights groups are looking for Clark County’s DA to seriously charge the students.
Image Credit: Above the Law, Flickr, Animal Photos, and WikiCommons