A family court hearing master ordered that a teen accused of stabbing horses at an off-Strip casino hotel remain in custody pending a hearing to determine whether she will be charged as an adult.
The 17-year-old girl, who wore blue jail sweats, appeared in Family Court on Thursday for a hearing on the certification petition.
When asked to confirm her name, she responded with a barely audible “yes.”
Hearing Master Ashley Hanks referred the matter to a Family Court judge, who will hear the case next month and make a ruling. Prosecutors allege the girl intentionally injured three horses inside the South Point Arena & Equestrian Center to prevent them from competing in a barrel racing event that weekend.
She was arrested and booked into the juvenile detention hall, where she has remained since May 30. She faces 12 felony counts of animal cruelty and three felony counts of malicious destruction of private property.
Her public defender, James Robinson, said the girl denied the charges.
“She has a very stable family and no risk of flight,” Robinson said. “She has a mental health history that we believe can be accommodated and treated within the community.”
Hicks denied the request to release the girl. Afterward, the girl’s parents, a pediatrician and an agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, declined to comment.
Clark County District Attorney Steve Wolfson previously announced that his office intended to seek adult charges. In a Tuesday news release, he said the allegations were serious enough to justify transferring the case from the juvenile system.
Attorney Ryan Helmick, who has spent more than a decade representing juvenile offenders charged with crimes ranging from murder to robbery, said he was surprised by the decision.
He noted that felony animal cruelty cases are rare, and even more so when they involve juveniles.
Given the unusual nature of the allegations, Helmick said juvenile court is better equipped to address potential underlying factors, such as mental health issues or learning disabilities, that may have contributed to the stabbings.
Helmick called the move to seek adult charges harsh.
“It should stay in juvenile court,” Helmick said. “What’s the point of juvenile court if we’re not going to try to keep them here?”
‘Poster Child’ for tougher penalties
Under Nevada law, animal abuse that causes death or substantial bodily harm — or is committed to threaten, intimidate or terrorize someone — is punishable by one to six years in prison.
The penalty increased after the death of Reba, an English bulldog that died from complications after being taped inside a plastic bin in July 2024. Her death galvanized animal rights advocates and inspired “Reba’s Law,” which lawmakers passed last year.
Defense attorney Philip Singer said the girl accused in the current case could become the law’s latest “poster child.”
Singer previously represented a defendant in Reba’s case. Last summer, his client, Isaac Laushaul Jr., and co-defendant Markeisha Foster were sentenced to one to four years in prison and about seven months in jail, respectively.
Asked whether he believes the girl in the new case should be charged as an adult, Singer replied, “Don’t get me wrong, no one wants a horse to be stabbed, but it seems like an overreaction.”
He also took issue with what he described as “bandwagon” outrage that often surrounds animal cruelty cases, arguing the public reaction is disproportionate to the legal penalties typically associated with them.
Singer said animal rights activists harassed him the entire time he was on Laushaul’s case.
“It was scary and disproportionate, and even that’s an understatement,” Singer said. “It’s not necessary.”
Although authorities have not released the name of the 17-year-old accused in the horse stabbings, thousands have found the girl on social media, leaving negative replies on her posts.
Some called her “disgusting” or “a monster.” Others posted personal information about her mother’s workplace.
One man, Nino Toll, who said he had done work on the girl’s horses and received threats because of it, took to Facebook the day after the stabbings to publicly distance himself.
He wrote that he wanted the girl punished to the fullest extent of the law “and then some.”
Reputation for behavioral issues
Meanwhile, members of Southern Nevada’s tight-knit equestrian community described the girl as a troubled and mediocre barrel racer.
Esther Hillner, an instructor at Talisman Farm, which offers private horse-riding lessons, said the girl previously worked for her. The girl was banned from the property in the fall after Hillner said she poured rubbing alcohol in Hillner’s water bottle.
Before that, Hillner said, the girl lied constantly, failed to complete her assigned work, and overworked the horses on the farm.
“Many of us in the community had tried mentoring her, giving her ride opportunities,” Hillner said. “But it became a situation where she was taking advantage of people and constantly pushing boundaries.”
Louis Schneider, a criminal and family attorney and equine advocate, said the stabbings had deeply impacted the horse community.
He said the bonds owners form with their horses can be profound.
“When horses get hurt, they heal, but it’s horrifying for owners,” Schneider said. “What she did is unforgivable.”
While Schneider called for strict legal penalties, he said family court offers greater oversight.
“The bottom line is, if she does go up as an adult, because she has no criminal history, she’ll likely be put on probation, and that will be the end of that,” Schneider said. “But the juvenile system can keep jurisdiction until she’s 21, so they can do a lot more with her.”
Contact Akiya Dillon at adillon@reviewjournal.com.
