Teen Gets One Night Jail For $1,000 Pet Pig Murder

A Maui teenager will spend just one night in jail after admitting to killing a beloved pet pig named Eddie to fraudulently win a $1,000 hunting contest prize. The case has sparked outrage among animal welfare advocates, with approximately three dozen protesters gathering outside the Wailuku courthouse Wednesday shouting “no excuse for animal abuse” and “protect our pets” before the sentencing hearing.

Nineteen-year-old Jayden Jarnesky-Magana pleaded no contest to charges of animal cruelty, theft, and criminal property damage in the killing of Eddie, a 250-pound therapy pig who lived at Kitty Charm Farm in Haiku. Though facing a potential 10-year sentence for all charges combined, Circuit Court Judge Kirstin Hamman instead sentenced Jarnesky-Magana to four years of probation alongside the token night in custody, according to Hawaii News Now.

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From Sanctuary To Slaughter

Eddie’s owner, Sarah Haynes, told the court through tears how the pig was stolen from his enclosure on May 11, 2024, after perpetrators cut through a wire fence to access the sanctuary property. Haynes only discovered what happened to her pet when strangers began sending her disturbing social media posts.

“I received videos of dogs going after Eddie. Pictures of Eddie gutted and hung from a tree in a homemade rap music video of the two men,” Haynes testified, describing the graphic evidence of her pet’s final moments.

The pig had been rescued years earlier after being found wandering in Kihei with scars and rope burns, suggesting previous abuse potentially as bait for hunting dog training. “I promised him a good life and that I would keep him away from that kind of treatment,” Haynes told KHON2. “Eddie was super friendly. Little kids could hug him… he was just the most adorable, sweet, gentle soul.”

A Calculated Contest Scheme

Court documents reveal that Jarnesky-Magana and co-defendant Krys-Ryan Saito Carino, 20, specifically targeted the domestic pig to enter into a Makawao feral pig hunting contest, claiming the first-place prize of $1,000 by presenting Eddie as a wild catch.

“It was a fraud on the family who put together the hunting contest and tried to run an honest event,” said Deputy Prosecutor Mica Metter. “And it was a fraud to the other hunters who entered the contest and tried to do it the right way.”

According to Haynes, legitimate hunters attending the competition were immediately suspicious. “They appear just moments before the contest ends with well-over the biggest pig, because he’s grain fed, and he’s clean, and he’s neutered and they couldn’t carry him from the truck to the scale. Nobody believed him,” she explained after speaking with hunters who later contacted her.

Remorse Versus Justice

Jarnesky-Magana did not address the court directly during sentencing. Instead, his attorney Wendy Hudson read a prepared statement that claimed: “I would like to start by saying that I’ve made a mistake and it was not intentional. I’ve learned a lesson and I’m not a bad kid.”

The teenager was visibly emotional during the proceeding, crying as his attorney presented letters of support from family members, including his 12-year-old brother who wrote, “He was always nice and he’s helpful to me. I think my brother should only get community service because he’s not a bad person,” according to KITV.

Judge Hamman justified the relatively light sentence by stating, “I think that that’s appropriate. That that will teach you, hopefully deter you from engaging in any further criminal activity. And I think it sends the proper message regarding the nature of the crime that was committed.”

A Community Divided

The case has sparked intense debate about appropriate punishment for animal cruelty within the community. Animal welfare advocates demanded jail time, while supporters of the teenager argued for leniency based on his youth and lack of previous criminal record.

“I don’t want to ruin anybody’s life,” Haynes stated before sentencing. “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.”

Following the sentencing, Haynes expressed mixed emotions about the outcome. “I really hope that this is enough of a lesson for him not to just act appropriately but maybe think appropriately and have some compassion and take a look at what he’s doing,” she said. “I’m glad that he left today in handcuffs and that he’s at least getting some time.”

Meanwhile, the case against co-defendant Krys-Ryan Saito Carino continues with a jury trial scheduled for April 28.

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