What did Aubrey Vanlandingham do? Texas cheerleader charged after beloved show goat “Willie” poisoned to death

A Texas teenager named Aubrey Vanlandingham was arrested following allegations she poisoned a beloved show goat named "Willie" to death. Law and Crime reports that the 17-year-old admitted to the attempt in the past as well.

Vanlandingham, a cheerleader, was cuffed on November 22 following an investigation that looked into the death of the goat, which belonged to another student. A proud goat-owner herself, The Daily Mail reports that prosecutors claim jealousy got the best of her as her goat, Lacey, was falling second to Willie in animal shows.

All we know about the murder of Willie the Goat and the alleged perpetrator, Aubrey Vanlandingham

Per the outlet, prosecutors are accusing Aubrey Vanlandingham of poisoning six-month-old Willie over 3 days, culminating in his death. When probed about the same, she initially denied the allegations, though she later admitted she "doesn't like cheaters," referring to the competition between Lacey and Willie in a local Future Farmers of America (FFA) livestock show.

She conceded to injecting the goat with pesticide while it was staying in the school's barn. Per Where Is The Buzz, surveillance footage from the barn shows the young girl administering the toxins via a drench gun on October 23. The animal died around 21 hours later.

Law and Crime report that the same day, the owner of the goat, also Valadingham's classmate, told her mother that Willie was "shaking or convulsing and not acting right." At her behest, the mother took the animal to the vet, though they were unable to figure out what was wrong. Before succumbing to death in its 15-year-old owner's arms, the goat was "bellowing" in pain, The Daily Mail has reported.

Reportedly, in the hours after injecting the animal, Aubrey Vanlandingham came back twice to record his wailing and suffering. Furthermore, she even came home to search how to clear her Google search history, after looking up queries like "how much bleach kills a goat," "if goats inject bleach do they die," and "poisoning pets, what you should know."

Laboratory tests executed on November 6 attribute Willie's cause of death to phosmet, an agricultural pesticide easily found. Aubrey Vanlandingham has since been charged with torturing the animal, which if convicted, Texas law dictates that she could be sentenced to two years behind bars, in addition to a $10,000 penalty.

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Aubrey Vanlandingham has yet to enter into a plea, though she was let go the same day she was arrested on a $5,000 bond. She is now slated to make an appearance in court on January 15 and has since been prohibited from attending classes at Vista Ridge High School.

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