Fake Hunting Video Exposed After Men Steal, Kill Therapy Pig

A disturbing case involving the theft and killing of a beloved therapy pig has concluded with surprisingly lenient sentences, despite evidence of a calculated scheme to defraud a hunting competition. Jayden Jarnesky-Magana, 19, and Krys-Ryan Saito Carino, 20, received just one night in jail after admitting to stealing “Eddie,” a 250-pound pet pig from a Maui animal sanctuary, killing him, and then using his remains to fraudulently claim a $1,000 prize in a local hunting contest.

The case sparked significant community outrage, with approximately three dozen protesters gathering outside the Wailuku courthouse during sentencing, demanding stronger penalties for animal cruelty, according to People.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhTTRp-07DY

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Digital Evidence Reveals Elaborate Deception

Court documents detail how the defendants cut through fencing at Kitty Charm Farm in Haiku on May 11, 2024, to abduct Eddie from his enclosure. They then created an elaborate digital fraud, filming themselves pretending to hunt the domestic animal with dogs before killing him, gutting him, and hanging his carcass from a tree in what the victim described as a “homemade rap music video” posted to Instagram.

The men subsequently entered Eddie’s remains into a feral pig hunting competition, claiming the $1,000 cash prize for the largest pig. Their scheme began to unravel, however, when legitimate hunters at the contest grew suspicious of the unusually large, clean, and neutered pig that the men struggled to even carry from their truck to the weighing station.

“Eddie’s killing was a premeditated intentional crime,” the pig’s owner Sarah Haynes stated on social media. “They had ropes, wire cutters and an illegal gun. They trespassed on private property and cut our fence. Eddie’s pen is about 150 feet from our house.”

A Double Tragedy For The Gentle Giant

The case is particularly heartbreaking given Eddie’s history. Haynes had rescued him years earlier after he was found wandering in Kihei with scars and rope burns, suggesting he had previously been used to train hunting dogs. At Kitty Charm Farm, he had transformed into a beloved therapy animal who formed special bonds with sanctuary visitors, especially children.

“Eddie was super friendly,” Haynes explained to New York Post. “Little kids could hug him, you know, he’d sit. You could get him to bark like a dog. I mean, he was just the most adorable, sweet, gentle soul.”

During the sentencing hearing, Haynes cried as she told the court, “Children could hug him. We swam in his pool with him. He was my treasured pet, a therapy pet to many.”

The cruel irony of Eddie’s fate wasn’t lost on his owner: “His life started with cruelty, and I was determined to make that go away for life. And, unfortunately it ended the same way it started, you know, with hunting dogs.”

How Social Media Both Created And Solved The Crime

In a twist that highlights the double-edged nature of social media, the perpetrators’ desire for online acclaim ultimately led to their identification and arrest. After Haynes posted about her missing pet online, she began receiving disturbing messages from strangers who had seen the defendants’ Instagram posts.

“And it was just video after picture after video of Eddie getting attacked, and they posted everything on Instagram of what they did,” Haynes recounted. This digital evidence proved crucial to building the case against Jarnesky-Magana and Saito Carino.

Additionally, legitimate hunters from the competition reached out to Haynes after recognizing Eddie from her missing pet posts and becoming suspicious of the contest entry. “Nobody believed him,” Haynes explained, describing how hunters noticed inconsistencies that suggested Eddie wasn’t a wild pig at all.

Justice Or Mercy? The Sentencing Debate

Despite facing charges that could have resulted in up to 10 years imprisonment, both defendants received remarkably light sentences. Circuit Court Judge Kirstin Hamman ordered just one night in jail for both men, along with four years of probation with strict conditions for Jarnesky-Magana, including prohibitions on hunting or owning animals.

The sentencing hearing revealed divided opinions on appropriate consequences. While animal welfare advocates called for significant jail time, others submitted character references emphasizing the defendants’ youth and potential for rehabilitation, according to Newsweek.

Jarnesky-Magana was visibly emotional during the proceeding, crying as his attorney Wendy Hudson read a prepared statement: “I believe that community service will be a better option for me as it will show my love and support for the community, and it will help me as I’m still learning how to do things… I am very sorry, please forgive me.”

The Search For Meaning In Tragedy

Despite the disappointment of many animal advocates regarding the sentence, Haynes has found some satisfaction in the strict probation conditions imposed. “He can’t hunt, he can’t own animals. So there is a very strict probation, and I’m really happy with that,” she said. “My hope is that this has been scary enough for him that he’ll make a change and also that other people hear about it.”

Prior to sentencing, Haynes had expressed measured expectations: “I don’t want to ruin anybody’s life and I don’t think there’s any possibility of them getting the 10 years, but what I would like to see, I would like to see a punishment. This wasn’t an innocent mistake, this wasn’t confusion about the law. This was a planned attack on my pet.”

For the Kitty Charm Farm community, Eddie’s memory now serves as both a painful reminder of the vulnerabilities even sanctuary animals face and as motivation for continued advocacy for stronger animal protection laws. While no sentence could bring Eddie back, the public attention to his story may help prevent similar tragedies in the future – a small consolation for those who knew and loved the gentle pig who had finally found safety, only to have it so violently taken away.

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