Alabama Teen Arrested After Killing Mother’s Chickens To Force Her To Call His Girlfriend’s Parents To Repair Relationship

In one of the truly most bizarre criminal cases this year, Hayden Smith, 18, has been arrested after killing six of his mother’s chickens after demanding that she call the parents of his girlfriend to repair the relationship. I cannot imagine why the girl’s parents would not want her going out with Smith.

Police say that Smith threatened to kill a chicken every 15 minutes until his mother made the call. He then allegedly sent pictures of the dead chickens every prescribed interval. He killed six before he was arrested.

He has been charged not with animal cruelty but domestic violence third degree and criminal mischief. I presume that lack of a cruelty charge appears reflects that the chickens may be killed for food so only as they are killed in any number of humane ways.

Notably, Smith also threatened to burn his mother’s house down, kill deputies and himself. I would hope that the first step in the defense is a psychological evaluation.

I am pretty sure that he is past the telephone call stage of repairing the relationship with the girl’s parents.