Southwest
Texas teen allegedly killed rival competitor's show goat in act of jealousy
A teenager in Texas is facing a felony charge after allegedly killing a rival competitor’s show goat a couple of months ago.
An arrest affidavit showed 17-year-old Aubrey Vanlandingham, who competes in livestock shows with her own goat, allegedly admitted to poisoning Willy, a younger competitor’s goat, CBS Austin reported.
Vanlandingham is accused of using a drench gun to force-feed Willy a toxic pesticide inside the Vista Ridge High School’s barn facility on Oct. 23, ultimately killing the 6-month-old goat, according to the outlet. Security footage allegedly showed the goat trying to escape the encounter.
The teenager was allegedly seen leaving Willy and returning to check on him two separate times during a two-hour period before calling the rival competitor’s mother to tell her the goat wasn’t doing well.
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Aubrey Vanlandingham, 17, is accused of killing a rival competitor’s show goat by force-feeding it pesticide. (Williamson County Sheriff’s Office)
Willy died in his owner’s arms within 24 hours after experiencing convulsions and respiratory distress, CBS Austin said.
Vanlandingham allegedly admitted to killing her rival’s goat because she thought the 15-year-old was “a cheater,” the outlet reported from the arrest affidavit. She had tried to kill Willy before, but was unsuccessful.
Vanlandingham was also a show competitor with her goat, Lacey. (Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images)
Willy’s cause of death was determined to be organophosphate intoxication from phosmet, a pesticide used for external parasite control in livestock.
The mother of the 15-year-old girl told the DailyMail that Vanlandingham doesn’t appear to be remorseful.
“It’s all bizarre. We want justice served, we don’t want a slap on the wrist. We want to make sure that she is punished. At this point, we don’t feel like she thinks she’s going to be punished and she needs to be. She needs to take ownership for what she’s done,” she told the outlet, adding that they want her to go to jail and get mental help.
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A police investigation into Vanlandingham’s phone revealed that she allegedly searched for information on lethal doses of bleach for animals and poisoning methods, according to CBS Austin. She also allegedly searched “how to clear search history.”
The 15-year-old’s mother determined Vanlandingham’s alleged crime was fueled by jealousy, not cheating.
“You can’t even cheat when it comes to showing goats,” she told the DailyMail. “It makes no sense, so that’s where the jealousy really kind of falls into place.”
Goats arriving at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in Houston, Texas. (Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)
Vanlandingham was charged with cruelty to livestock animals, which is a felony in Texas punishable by up to two years in prison. She was arrested on Nov. 22 and released on a $5,000 bond the same day, jail records show.
Her court date is set for Jan. 15.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
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