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Mar 28, 2008 9:02 am US/Central
Ex-A&M Student Sentenced For Killing Horse
BRYAN (AP) ―
A former Texas A&M student has been sentenced to 120 days in jail for the killing of a show horse near a Bryan apartment complex.
Walter Williams, who was sentenced Wednesday, pleaded guilty to cruelty to an animal. Prosecutors though, said the 22-year-old was not the main aggressor in the October 2006 killing.
Both Williams' defense attorneys and prosecutors said 22-year-old Kenneth Peterson was responsible for most of the horse's fatal wounds. Peterson is serving a six-month sentence for the same crime after being convicted by a jury five months ago.
Cowgirl Chic, a horse owned by College Station resident Darla McCrady, was found dead in a field behind the apartment complex. A veterinary pathologist testified in Peterson's trial that the horse had sustained two deep gashes to her neck, two brain hemorrhages and three puncture wounds to her large intestine and lungs.
Police arrested the two men soon after the crime, saying the pair had hit the horse with croquet mallets and golf clubs.
Defense attorney Stephen Gustitis said that Williams stabbed the animal with the broken shaft of a golf club to put her out of her misery.
But assistant District Attorney Shane Phelps said that Williams encouraged and accompanied Peterson as he attacked the horse.
Gustitis said his client accepted a plea bargain because he did not want to risk a more severe punishment. He said Williams would serve out his term and then spend five years on probation. He said that Williams hopes to enroll in college again.
Williams also has been instructed to pay $5,000 in restitution to McCrady.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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