That man has been named as Ashley Johnston, 18. He’s charged with animal cruelty, along with another student at Wilcox Academy in Camden, Alabama.
The other suspect, 17, hasn’t been named due to his age.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. He’s Accused of Recording the Beheadings
WSFA reports that Johnston is accused of helping his friend behead three stray puppies with a machete. The station, quoting Wilcox County Sheriff Earnest Evans, said that the video showed that Johnston recorded the beheadings. The unnamed 17-year-old is accused of doing the beheading. The friend threw the puppies into the air and then cut their heads off in mid-air, say cops.
Evans told the station, “It would be fair to say the 18-year-old confessed. He kind of owned it, took the photos, and he [says he] actually didn’t like it. The pictures were on social media for about 15 seconds.” The sheriff added that Johnston has shown remorse for what he did.
2. He Is an Eagle Scout
On his now-deleted Facebook page (you can view a cache of the page here), Johnston’s profile picture looks similar to a Snapchat manipulated image.
Sheriff Earnest Evans told WSFA that Johnston is an Eagle Scout. After Johnston was arrested, his mother, Jenny Hersman Johnston, posted on Facebook that she loved “her son unconditionally.” She works on the campaign for Montgomery mayoral candidate Artur Davis.
Well, I can't say I blame his mother for supporting him. Who wants to believe that you raised Damian the son of Satan? However, she needs to get her son help in the form of mental health counseling. This is a sickness; normal people would never do something like this.
3. Johnston Attends a Private School of Just Over 300 Students
Both Johnston and the unnamed other suspect are students at the private Wilcox Academy High School in Camden, Alabama. The school has just over 300 students and costs approximately $8,000 per year to attend.
4. He’s a Wide Receiver on His School’s Varsity Team
His profile at Hudl.com says that Johnston plays as a wide receiver for the Wilcox Academy Wildcats. His page shows three video highlights from the 2013/14 season.
5. Johnston Could Face 10 Years in Prison
Cruelty to animals in Alabama is covered in chapter 11 of the state’s criminal code. It’s a felony to kill any animal without good cause. The phrase “good cause” is qualified with the example of a marauding dog. If found guilty, Johnston could face up to 10 years in prison.
Unfortunately, no one ever gets the maximum. They'll give him probation and because he most likely hasn't been in serious trouble before they'll wipe his record clean after his probation period. Then he can go on with his rich kid life and maybe move on up to abusing women and children.
Also worth noting: wealthy people get breaks that you and I don't. And wealthy people with law enforcement/political connections get even bigger breaks. According to themonstersamongus.com, Ashley's grandfather (on his mom's side) is "retired FBI" - this according to Ashley's mom's Facebook post (you can see a screenshot of it on the website).
(al.com - March 10, 2015)
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