April 1, 2008

BRYAN, Texas -- A man who was complicit in the brutal murder of a show horse has been sentenced to four months in prison by a Texas court.

Walter Williams, 22, pleaded guilty to animal cruelty for the October 2006 killing. He was sentenced last week, but received the short sentence because he was not considered the main aggressor.

The prized horse, named Cowgirl Chic, was owned by Darla McCrady of College Station. She awoke the morning after the attack to find Chic dead in her back yard.

“She had two big cuts to the throat and one was pretty much cut in half," she said. "You could see where blood was and where struggle was and you could see where she died."

Attorneys for the former Texas A & M student said that another man, Kenneth Peterson was the main aggressor in the crime. The 22-year-old Peterson is already serving a nine-month sentence for the same crime. He’s slated for five years of probation following jail time.

According to authorities, the pair beat the horse with croquet mallets and golf clubs before Williams finally stabbed the animal with a broken club to, “put it out of its misery.”

District Attorney Shane Phelps argued that Williams had encouraged Peterson during the murder. Peterson was sentenced five months ago.

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Matt Van Hoven, Pet Pulse, Meredith Stancik, KBTX, and The Associated Press contributed to this story.