UC Berkeley School of Law graduate Justin Alexander Teixeira pleaded guilty on Wednesday to a felony charge of killing another person’s animal in the ongoing Las Vegas exotic bird beheading case.
Teixeira, who graduated in May, entered a guilty plea to felony animal killing, saving him from a felony conviction that carries up to four years in jail, a fine of up to $5,000 and a felony charge on his record. As part of a plea deal offered by the Clark County district attorney’s office, he will instead participate in a four- to six-month discipline program followed by up to three years of probation.
In October 2012, Teixeira, along with then-classmates Hazhir Kargaran and Eric Cuellar, were accused of torturing and killing a helmeted guineafowl at the Flamingo Hotel Wildlife Animal Habitat. Cuellar pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor in January, and Kargaran pleaded no contest to three misdemeanor charges in May. Teixeira allegedly acted alone in decapitating the bird and therefore faced greater charges.
Clark County District Attorney Frank Coumou, who prosecuted all three cases, said Teixeira will attend a sentencing on Oct. 16, after which he will surrender and go to Nevada State Prison to complete a regimental discipline program.
“It’s a fair offer,” Coumou said. “But he has to work hard to get himself out of the hole he has dug himself in, and (with this plea deal) he can have hope for his career. Going to trial, the likelihood of felony conviction would have been extremely high.”
The Nevada Department of Corrections characterizes the program as akin to military boot camp, where prisoners must partake in extensive physical training, manual labor and psychological counseling.
If Teixeira completes the program with an honorable discharge, he will receive less than three years’ probation and will have the opportunity to withdraw his felony guilty plea and instead plead guilty to a gross misdemeanor, Coumou said. The plea deal allows Teixeira to avoid going to a jury trial, in which a felony conviction would remain on his criminal record indefinitely.
“It is advantageous for him to take what he can get to have the felony taken off his record,” Coumou said. “In that respect, it is a good deal.”
Gina Greisen, a spokesperson for nonprofit advocacy group Nevada Voters for Animals, said Teixeira’s punishment should have been harsher.
“I don’t believe that anyone should get to go to Las Vegas, do whatever they want, tear the head off a living creature, then go back to California and become a lawyer,” Greisen said. “I plan to protest his ability to join the bar.”
Representatives for Teixeira could not be reached for comment.
Contact Stephanie Petrillo at [email protected]