A Virginia hunter is facing up to a prison sentence and more after being found guilty of killing a well-known and beloved deer on the grounds of the historic Hollywood Cemetery.
Two hunters were involved in the killing of the “Hollywood Buck”, each of whom was charged separately.
Jason Walters, of Richmond, Virginia, pleaded guilty to all 20 felony charges against him in Richmond General District Court, Fox Richmond and other media outlets report.
Assistant Commonwealth Attorney for the Commonwealth of Virginia Denise Anderson told Fox News Digital via email that for the “non-jailable offenses,” Walters will receive fines and restitution totaling more than $13,000 on all counts.
The hunter, from Richmond, was sentenced to a total of 80 months, with 76 months suspended.
“Walters will serve a four-month sentence in Richmond prison, and will have a suspended sentence of approximately seven years on top of that,” Anderson added.
“All provisions are conditional upon him complying with all other conditions of his plea agreement, maintaining good behavior and obeying all laws of the Commonwealth and the City of Richmond.”
Walters' hunting license has been revoked for 100 years, and suspended for 75 years — meaning his license will be revoked for at least 25 years.
The remainder of his 75-year sentence is contingent on Walters complying with all terms of the plea agreement.
Alan Proffitt was the second hunter involved in the killing of the beloved “Hollywood Buck.”
“Alan Proffitt pleaded guilty to all 6 charges. He was fined $250 on 5 counts which were non-bailable,” Anderson said.
“On the remaining counts he received a sentence of 6 months in jail, 5 months of which were suspended. His hunting license privileges were also revoked for 5 years, with 4 years suspended on each of the 6 counts, for a total of 6 years of his hunting privileges revoked, along with a condition to maintain good behavior and obey all laws of the Commonwealth and the City of Richmond.”
'A real showstopper'
The story made headlines when photos of a giant deer killed by a Virginia hunter were posted on the Facebook page Star City Whitetails, run by Jeff Phillips.
There, hunters from across Virginia share their hunting accomplishments and photographic evidence.
Each year, during deer season in Virginia, Phillips holds a deer contest, he said.
Hunting enthusiasts can send in photos of their biggest prizes — as Walters did.
“This one particular hunter shared a couple of deer last November that were pretty nice deer, and then he sent a third deer … ultimately, all three deer were killed in that graveyard, but the third deer was really, really attractive,” Phillips told Fox News Digital.
The Facebook page host thought nothing of the photos Walters sent and posted the fictitious accomplishment on his main page.
The original caption said, “Prince Edward County hit with a 50 cal muzzleloader, shot at 7:13am this morning from 20 yards, my 3rd kill this year! Biggest buck of my life”, presumably using words submitted by the hunter himself.
This unusual 29-point white-tailed deer was quickly identified by internet sleuths because it had distinctive antlers and lived near Hollywood Cemetery.
“I posted on my page, and within probably 10 minutes, someone who follows my page sent me a private message with some pictures that a wildlife photographer in the Richmond area had taken of this deer” — and Phillips immediately knew it was the famous “Hollywood Buck.”
While the comments section was initially flooded with congratulatory messages, users turned against the hunter by sharing their own photos of the famous deer.
Less than 24 hours later, the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources contacted Phillips, asking for information about Walters and photos for their Facebook page, he said.
The Virginia Department of Wildlife stated in a press release last year, “Members of the hunting and wildlife viewing communities alerted DWR law enforcement that they recognized the pictured deer as a frequent visitor to Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond’s Oregon Hill neighborhood, and expressed concern that the deer had been illegally killed.”
The Wildlife Resources Law Enforcement Division was able to obtain evidence and make contact with the suspect, and only then could it be determined that the deer had in fact been killed illegally.
“The illegal killing of the Hollywood Cemetery deer is a serious violation of Virginia’s wildlife laws and will be a priority for the Conservation Police Officers assigned to the investigation until all leads have been exhausted, all evidence has been collected, and those involved have been charged,” Maj. Ryan Schuler, DWR law enforcement deputy chief, said in the release.
The famous “Hollywood Buck” roamed the grounds of Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond for years and quickly became a favorite creature of neighborhood residents.
Ultimately, it was the deer’s size that made it so beloved and recognizable.
“A deer with antlers and horns like that should be 6 or 7 years old,” Phillips said. “That's the age they reach their potential and the deer is able to live out their life (or rather) most of their life, you know, in privacy and protection.”
“But the main thing is there were deer in that neighborhood or in that cemetery, and there was no hunting,” he said.
Phillips was surprised to learn that Walters was the one who exposed himself by sharing photos with the Star City Whitetails.
“There are people who kill just for their own glory — to boost their ego,” he said.
He said he hoped “getting in trouble for this will change the way they act.”
Even though the circumstances weren't good, Phillips said he's thankful his Facebook page was able to play a key role in the man's arrest.
“My page and the people who follow it were so important and helped law enforcement catch this guy — because if he hadn't posted those pictures, he probably never would have been caught,” Phillips said.
