Man threatened to kill ex-girlfriend's horse, Wash. cops say. It was dead the next day
A Washington man called his ex-girlfriend Sunday night and told her that if she didn’t get back together with him, he’d kill her favorite horse, the woman told deputies.
And on Monday morning, when deputies went to the man’s house in northern Spokane County, they found a dead horse lying on its side on a steep hill, KOMO reported. The rails of a nearby pen were broken, KXLY reported.
The horse’s front ankles had been tied to a fence with a short rope, and another rope was tied around its neck, according to the Spokane Spokesman-Review. Its tail was chopped off.
The ground near the animal was also torn up, possibly due to a struggle, and there was a large amount of blood on the ground, according to the Spokesman-Review and KXLY.
The suspect, identified as 45-year-old Clinton Burrill, was not home at first, but he arrived soon after and tried to run from deputies, even climbing a fence, according to KOMO.
Burrill was arrested on suspicion of felony animal cruelty, Fox 28 reported.
Then on Tuesday morning, the woman called authorities to report another unsettling discovery. She told officials she found a bag on her front porch Monday, but didn’t open it because she was afraid it was from Burrill, according to KXLY.
When she opened it Tuesday, she discovered a handkerchief tied around horse-tail hairs with the tag “77” on it. She told authorities she believed the bag and horse hair were left to "scare, intimidate and harass her," according to a Sheriff's Office news release.
After that, officials also added misdemeanor harassment to Burrill’s suspected charges, according to Fox 28.
The Spokesman-Review reported that court records showed the victim, who lived with Burrill until recently, ended the relationship a few months ago because she believed he had mental health issues that made him violent with her.
This story was originally published May 22, 2018 at 5:23 PM with the headline "Man threatened to kill ex-girlfriend's horse, Wash. cops say. It was dead the next day."