Men Face One Night Jail After $1,000 Pig-Killing Scheme

A disturbing case of animal cruelty and fraud has concluded with surprisingly light sentences for two Maui men who abducted and killed a beloved pet pig to win a hunting contest. Jayden Jarnesky-Magana, 19, and Krys-Ryan Saito Carino, 20, were sentenced to just one night in jail after pleading no contest to charges that could have carried up to 10 years imprisonment.

The pair faced charges of first-degree animal cruelty, theft of livestock, and criminal property damage for stealing “Eddie,” a 250-pound therapy pig from Kitty Charm Farm in Haiku, according to People.

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mf2Y2NbsGvg

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From Therapy Animal to Hunting Trophy

Court documents reveal a calculated scheme in which the defendants cut through fencing at the animal sanctuary on May 11, 2024, to abduct Eddie, who had been rescued years earlier after being found with scars and rope burns suggesting previous abuse. The men then filmed themselves pretending to hunt the domestic animal before killing him, gutting him, and hanging his carcass from a tree.

The final step in their plan was entering Eddie’s remains in a local feral pig hunting competition where they claimed the $1,000 cash prize for the largest pig. However, legitimate hunters at the contest grew suspicious when they noticed the unusually large, neutered pig that the men struggled to even carry from their truck to the weighing station.

“Nobody believed him,” Eddie’s owner Sarah Haynes told reporters, explaining how hunters at the competition later contacted her after seeing her social media posts about her missing pet. The connections between these suspicious competitors and Haynes ultimately helped build the case against the perpetrators.

A Beloved Companion Lost

Eddie was no ordinary farm animal, but rather a therapy pig who had formed deep bonds with sanctuary visitors, including children. “Children could hug him. We swam in his pool with him. He was my treasured pet, a therapy pet to many,” Haynes testified through tears at the sentencing hearing, according to Newsweek.

The case is particularly tragic given Eddie’s history. Haynes had rescued him after he was found wandering in Kihei with scars suggesting he had previously been used to train hunting dogs. “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,” she explained.

Community Outrage Meets Court Leniency

The courthouse was crowded with approximately three dozen animal welfare advocates who held signs and shouted “no excuse for animal abuse” and “protect our pets” before the sentencing. Despite the community response and the potential for lengthy sentences, Circuit Court Judge Kirstin Hamman ordered just one night in jail for both defendants, along with four years of probation for Jarnesky-Magana.

Jarnesky-Magana did not directly address the court during the hearing but was visibly emotional as his attorney 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 light sentence has raised questions about how the judicial system values animal life, particularly in cases of premeditated cruelty. Deputy Prosecutor Mica Metter emphasized during the trial that the crime was doubly offensive – both as animal cruelty and as fraud against the hunting contest organizers and legitimate participants.

A Frightening Level of Premeditation

What particularly disturbed many observers was the level of planning involved. “Eddie’s killing was a premeditated intentional crime,” 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.”

The men not only documented their crime on social media but created what Haynes described as a “homemade rap music video” showing Eddie gutted and hanging from a tree. This digital evidence ultimately contributed to their conviction, according to New York Post.

Finding Some Solace in Restrictions

Despite her disappointment with the jail sentence, Haynes expressed some satisfaction with 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.”

For the Kitty Charm Farm community, the case has become a rallying point for stronger animal protection laws and a reminder of the vulnerabilities even sanctuary animals face. While no punishment can 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 violently stripped away.

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