UC Berkeley law grad gets boot camp in bird death

NEVADA -- A UC Berkeley lawschool graduate was sentenced Wednesday to six months in a Nevada prison "boot camp" for beheading an exotic bird in Las Vegas during a drunken escapade.

Justin Teixeira, 25, pleaded guilty in June to killing another person's animal, a felony charge, for the attack last October on a 14-year-old helmeted guinea fowl named Turk at the Flamingo Hotel.

Teixeira was taken into custody after appearing in a Las Vegas courtroom, said Frank Coumou, a Clark County chief deputy district attorney. Teixeira must spend 190 days in a military-style program of educational and physical training and manual labor.

If he completes the program and a probation term of three to five years, he can withdraw his felony plea and instead be found guilty of a misdemeanor, Coumou said.

"He is extremely remorseful for his actions he committed while heavily intoxicated," said his attorney Michael Pariente, adding his client has attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings since his arrest
"and has since not even touched alcohol."

Teixeira is among thousands of aspiring lawyers awaiting next month's California State Bar exam results.

Whether he can practice law may depend on whether the felony stays on his record. According to the state bar website, those convicted of violent felonies or felonies involving moral turpitude "are presumed not to be of good moral character in the absence of a pardon or a showing of overwhelming reform and rehabilitation."

Two other men were convicted for their roles in the case, which drew nationwide headlines.

Hazhir Kargaran, 26, who recently completed his third and final year at UC Berkeley School of Law, pleaded no contest to three misdemeanors: instigating animal cruelty, property destruction and trespassing. He was sentenced to two days in jail and 48 hours of community service.

Eric Cuellar, 25, who began his third year at the law school this fall, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of instigating animal cruelty. He got a $200 fine and 48 hours of community service.

Authorities said the three men were intoxicated when they chased the bird into trees at the hotel's wildlife habitat. "A witness then observed the suspects emerge from the trees, carrying the body and severed head of the bird," police said.

 

Video footage from the hotel and Cuellar's iPhone helped investigators, Coumou said.

"The two other individuals, I don't think, ever agreed to having this bird killed," he said. "It was just a drunk, stupid decision to go and chase the bird, and unfortunately, Teixeira took a step further on his own."

(SF Gate - Oct 16, 2013)

Earlier:

• Two Arrested in Killing of Exotic Bird