A teen cheerleader in Texas is facing felony charges after allegedly using pesticide to poison and kill a rival’s competitive show goat at their high school in an ugly display of “jealousy,” according to an arrest affidavit and the goat’s owner.
According to an affidavit obtained by CBS Austin, Aubrey Vanlandingham, a 17-year-old senior who competed in livestock shows with her own goat, admitted to deliberately poisoning Willy on October 23.
Police obtained security footage that showed a female student at Vista Ridge High School’s barn facility using a drench gun to force-feed Willy a toxic pesticide. According to the footage, the 6-month-old goat struggled to escape but was eventually trapped and forced to drink the pesticide.
The student, identified by investigators as Vanlandingham, left but returned twice within two hours to check on Willy before calling her peer’s mother to inform her that their goat was not well.
Willy died less than a day later, in his owner’s arms, after suffering from convulsions and respiratory distress.
According to the affidavit, Vanlandingham claimed she killed the goat because she thought the goat’s owner’s 15-year-old daughter was “a cheater.” Not only that, but she allegedly attempted but failed to kill Willy previously.
“She confessed to poisoning him multiple times over several days. So it’s a pretty tough situation. We don’t believe she has any remorse, and we hope she is sentenced to jail and receives mental health treatment,” the 15-year-old’s mother told the DailyMail this week.
“It is all bizarre. We want justice served, not a slap on the wrist. We want to ensure that she gets punished. We don’t believe she believes she will be punished, even though she should be. She needs to accept responsibility for what she has done.”
A necropsy on the goat performed by a caprine pathologist confirmed the cause of death as organophosphate intoxication from phosmet, a pesticide commonly used for external parasite control in livestock, according to the arrest report.
The police investigation discovered that Vanlandingham’s phone search history included questions about lethal bleach doses for animals and pet poisoning methods. She then allegedly searched “How to clear search history” in an unsuccessful attempt to hide her tracks.
According to the DailyMail, the cheerleader was recently named president of the school’s Future Farmers of America and enjoyed attending goat shows with her own pet, Lacey.
Despite being elected president of her school’s chapter of the national livestock competition organization, Vanlandingham was still envious of her younger competitor, according to the girl’s mother.
“She claims it’s because of cheating. But from what we can tell, she was simply jealous,” the 15-year-old’s mother told the Daily Mail.
“You can’t even cheat when it comes to showing goats,” she told me. “It makes no sense, so that’s where the jealousy really kind of falls into place.”
Vanlandingham was arrested on November 22 and charged with cruelty to livestock animals, which is a jail felony in Texas. She was released on the same day with a $5,000 bond.
If convicted, she faces up to two years in prison. She has been barred from attending her high school while the case is pending. She is scheduled to appear in court on January 15.
