Share:

Case Snapshot

Case ID: 18215

Classification: Shooting

Animal: horse

More cases in Washington County, VT

More cases in VT

« Back to Search Results

Reward: $3,500

Login to Watch this Case

Images for this Case

all 1 media files »

Horse found shot to death in pasture
East Montpelier, VT (US)

Incident Date: Tuesday, Jul 5, 2011
County: Washington

Disposition: Open
Case Images: 1 files available

Suspect(s) Unknown - We need your help!

A local family is grieving after someone shot and killed its horse. The horse Kagan was given to 9-year-old Katie from her East Montpelier grandmother, Beverly Lavin.

"She called him her baby, referred to herself as his mommy," Lavin said.

Lavin's heart breaks watching Katie plant flowers on Kagan's grave.

"She wanted to put blue and green daisies on because she knew that Kagan's favorite flowers were daisies," Lavin said.

For three days, Lavin and her family have been in a state of shock. She said her brother heard what he thought were fireworks Tuesday night. The next morning, he realized it must have been gunshots. Another horse, Sneakers had been grazed by at least two bullets, but Katie's pet Kagan was found dead on the ground.

Lavin said Katie and her sister, Kelly, visit every summer from Connecticut. They especially look forward to seeing the horses. The family can't understand why anyone would shot at them.

"She (Katie) was just violently shaking, and her eyes were dilated huge," Lavin said.

In the same place where Kagan's buried, Katie and her family held a funeral for it Friday afternoon. Her grandmother said her horse meant so much to her that she wrote close to two pages worth of fond memories.

"She has told me that with kind of a sad smile that 'I'm still sad, but I know he's in a happy place now,'" Lavin said.

The family, along with the Humane Society of the United States, is offering a $3,500 reward for anyone who has information leading to the arrest of the shooter.

Anyone with information is asked to call Trooper Conlon at the Vermont State Police in Middlesex at 802-229-9191.

If you have information on this case, please contact:
Vermont State Police Trooper Richie Conlon
802-229-9191

References

« Back to Search Results
« VT State Animal Cruelty Map
« More cases in Washington County, VT

Note: Classifications and other fields should not be used to determine what specific charges the suspect is facing or was convicted of - they are for research and statistical purposes only. The case report and subsequent updates outline the specific charges. Charges referenced in the original case report may be modified throughout the course of the investigation or trial, so case updates, when available, should always be considered the most accurate reflection of charges.

For more information regarding classifications and usage of this database, please visit the database notes and disclaimer.