2 pigs stabbed, 1 beheaded - Chesapeake, VA

Monday, Feb 7, 2011

County: Chesapeake City

Charges: Misdemeanor
Disposition: Convicted

Defendant/Suspect: Ashley Marie Fowler

Case Updates: 2 update(s) available

Police say they've arrested a suspect in the case of a decapitated pig whose head was found on the owner's front porch in Chesapeake. A second pig was also stabbed in the same incident.

Ashley Marie Fowler, 21, of Portsmouth, was arrested Wednesday.

"I always thought she was a good kid," said Fowler's neighbor Valerie Kelly.

Kelly said she was both upset and shocked to learn Fowler was arrested and charged with killing two pigs earlier this week.

"I've never had a problem with her or anything, and her mom and dad are great. But she's hung around some boys that are questionable. Other than that, I've never known her to be in trouble for anything," said Kelly.

Fowler is charged with two felony counts of killing/maiming livestock, one count of misdemeanor vandalism (police say the owner of the pigs also had his vehicle tires cut), and one count of possession of prescription pills.

The owner of the pigs, Zack Sawyer, claimed Fowler is acquainted with his ex-girlfriend and may have done this for revenge.

"I'm glad they caught her. I hope they get the rest of them," said Sawyer.

Chesapeake police responded to the home in the 400 block of Ballahack Road on Tuesday.

According to Animal Control officers, someone entered the victim's property sometime between 6:30 p.m. on Monday and 6:30 a.m. Tuesday and decapitated one of his pigs.

Police said the decapitated pig's head was then placed on the victim's front porch. The pig's body, which had multiple stab wounds, was left in the pig pen with ten other live pigs.

A second pig, who was also housed in the pig pen, was stabbed multiple times. Animal Control officers said the pig had to be put down.

Officials say Animal Control officers, along with Chesapeake Police detectives, received information about a possible suspect in the killing on Wednesday. Fowler was arrested later in the day at her place of employment, also in Portsmouth.

Fowler was not available for comment and remains free on bond.

Case Updates

A 21-year-old Portsmouth woman charged with beheading a piglet and stealing a wooden cross from a church pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor Wednesday morning. But her legal troubles are far from over. Ashley Marie Fowler, of the 3800 block of Caroline Ave., pleaded guilty to destruction of property during Wednesday's hearing, but appealed the charge, said her attorney, Jack T. Randall. She also waived the preliminary hearing of her February charges stemming from the animal attack and church theft, which will go straight to a grand jury. "We fully intend to represent Ms. Fowler's interests," Randall said. It was Feb. 8 when Janie Sawyer discovered a piglet's head on the front porch before she went to work. She lives in the 4000 block of Ballahack Road. The piglet had been stabbed. Its body was left inside a barn in Sawyer's backyard with another piglet, which was stabbed so badly it had to be euthanized. Both piglets belonged to her son. Fowler was charged with two counts of felony killing/maiming livestock, felony possession of Adderall and the misdemeanor destruction of property charge. The tires on a truck belonging to Sawyer's son had been slashed. Fowler also faces charges of burglary and larceny in connection with a church theft that happened around the same time as the piglet beheading. Northwest Baptist Church, 848 Ballahack Road, reported that between Feb. 6 and 9, someone took three wooden crosses and three fire extinguishers, police said. Investigators searching Fowler's 1996 Ford Explorer discovered six fire extinguishers and a large wooden cross, according to a search warrant filed in Chesapeake Circuit Court. Another search warrant filed in connection with the pig-beheading case reported that an ax, a Bowie knife with black sheath, a camouflage boot, a black ski cap and gloves also were found in her SUV. Fowler's co-worker at The Home Depot in Hickory told investigators she talked to Fowler about breaking up with the pigs' owner, Zach Sawyer, and that Fowler suggested playing a prank on him, according to an affidavit for a search warrant. The co-worker provided Sawyer's address to Fowler, who later told her that she and an unidentified man went to Sawyer's house, killed the pigs and slashed his tires, according to the affidavit.

Source: hamptonroads.com - May 12, 2011 Update posted on Oct 21, 2011 - 4:45PM

The woman accused of killing and maiming two pigs, then leaving one of the pig's heads on its owner's front porch last week is in trouble again. Police said 21-year-old Ashley Marie Fowler was arrested at her place of employment last Wednesday after they found evidence in her car linking her to a recent church burglary. On Tuesday afternoon, she turned herself in in to the Chesapeake City Jail for warrants secured against her for burglary and grand larceny. "She is definitely not the little girl I remember," said neighbor Valerie Kelly who said she's known Fowler since she was 7 years old. News that Fowler was already facing charges for killing and maiming two pigs during the same time period shocked Kelly. "I mean how can you do something like that to something so innocent," said Kelly. On February 9, just a day after the accused pig killings, Chesapeake police responded to the Northwest Baptist Church on Ballahack Road in reference to a burglary. Several items were taken from the church, according to police reports, including: three fire extinguishers and three wooden crosses. During a search of Fowler's vehicle for the animal killings, police say they found six fire extinguishers, three belonging to the church and one wooden cross, also belonging to the church. "I find it hard to believe that somebody could go to a church and do something like that, but you hear of vandalism all the time," Kelly added. On Monday, warrants were secured for Fowler for the burglary of Northwest Baptist Church. She now faces one count of burglary and one count of grand larceny in addition to two felony counts of killing/maiming livestock, one count of vandalism and one count of prescription pills. Animal Control officers and detectives are investigating whether or not Fowler is affiliated with the occult or some type of satanic worship. WAVY.com spoke with cult expert Don Rimer who said he does not believe there is enough evidence to link Fowler to satanic worship. He also said he has shared his opinion with Chesapeake detectives.

Source: wavy.com - Feb 15, 2011 Update posted on Apr 28, 2011 - 10:44PM

References

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