A jealous Idaho man shot and killed his ex-girlfriend’s horse in a drunken rage after accusing his ex of cheating on him, according to reports.
Shawn Brayden Jones, 24, was accused of shooting Mailee Cooper’s horse, Bree, a 12-year-old American Quarter Horse that she had owned for nine years — and was worth up to $10,000, the Idaho State Journal reported.
Jones allegedly confessed to shooting the horse four times with a .22-caliber lever-action rifle, according to arrest affidavits.
He told a responding deputy last month that he split from Cooper a week earlier and that she’d kept her horse on his property.
She had visited him just before the shooting but left because he was drunk and started accusing her of cheating on him, she said.
Jones claimed he “needed to put [thehorse] down” because no one had come since their break-up and he didn’t think the animal had been fed or take care of, according to a police report cited by the outlet.
But when the deputy asked Jones to elaborate, he “stammered and was unable to describe exactly what was wrong” with the horse, the report stated.
The suspect, who reeked of alcohol, then showed the deputy the animal’s body.
“Aside from the bullet wounds, the horse appeared to be in good health. There were no signs of malnourishment or neglect,” according to the police report.
At one point, Jones’ father asked to speak with the deputy in private, telling him there was no need to shoot the horse, which the family had fed, and that his son was out of control and needed to face criminal charges, the State Journal reported.
Jones’ blood-alcohol content was determined to be 0.186 percent, over two times the legal limit for operating a vehicle, according to the outlet.
He was charged with felony malicious injury to property and booked into the Bingham County Jail, the East Idaho News reported.
Jones offered to pay for half of what Bree was worth but also “made it a point to state that he did not regret shooting the horse,” the police report states.
If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $1,000. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer representing him.
“Someone took my best friend from me. She pretty much took a bullet for me,” Cooper told East Idaho News.
“Hopefully, the justice system doesn’t just sweep this under the rug so no one else gets hurt or another animal gets hurt,” she said.
She shared a similar sentiment in a Facebook post about her “profound sorrow.”
She wasn’t just my best friend she was my faithful companion and protector,” she wrote of Bree.
“The pain of her passing is intensified by the knowledge that she saved my life, bravely stepping in harm’s way and taking a bullet for me.
“Her selfless act of heroism is a testament to the deep bond we shared, a bond forged through countless hours of trust and companionship. Though she may no longer be by my side, her memory will forever gallop through the fields of my heart.”
Cooper’s friend Shelby Henery set up a GoFundMe page to help her buy another horse.
“Of course to Mailee, Bree is irreplaceable. However, friends and family would love to see her honor the memory of Bree by continuing to pursue her equestrian dreams with another horse!” Henery wrote.
“This horse meant more to Mailee than most could possibly imagine. Mailee had been taking Bree to the indoor arena at the Bannock County Event Center Friday and Saturday evenings for breakaway roping practice, the friend explained.
“She continues to go to these practices to show support to her friends, no matter the heartache it causes her to not have her best friend there with her,” Henery added.
