Justice For Turk

  • Law

At last, justice is served in the needless killing of Turk the helmeted guinea fowl. According to the Las Vegas Sun, the UC Berkeley law student who did the heinous act, Justin Teixeira, pleaded guilty yesterday to killing another person’s animal. As you may recall, Teixeira’s fellow law students Eric Cuellar and Hazhir Kargaran, who were also implicated in Turk’s death, have already pleaded guilty to misdemeanors and paid fines and restitution. So, what punishment did recent law grad Teixeira get for this admitting to this Class D felony?

According to the Sun, Teixeira will be attending a 4-month boot camp program hosted by the Nevada Department of Corrections. If he completes that, then he will get probation. There was nothing in the article to indicate whether he will also be paying a fine, but you have to suppose this going on his record will not benefit him financially in the future. While it is unknown whether Teixeira intends to apply to the bar anywhere, it is certain he will be reporting this and will likely be dealing with the consequences of it for some time to come (these mug shots do not qualify as lawyer-hot).

We applaud Chief Deputy District Attorney Frank Coumou for his efforts, but at the same time are appalled at the fact that officers respond to 5,000 animal cruelty calls a year in Southern Nevada. So, what do you think? Does the punishment fit the crime? Did he get off easy? Is the rest of the country going to learn you can’t do reinact Hangover in Las Vegas without some consequences?

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Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 13, 2013 5:02 pm

the article mentions that it is a class D felony which has imprisonment in the state prison for a minimum term of not less than 1 year and a maximum term of not more than 4 years.

How does he only get 4 months of boot camp? sorry, just a cd lawyer trying to understand criminal stuff in between cookie breaks.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 13, 2013 6:23 pm

Shame on Gov. Sandoval. What a cowardly veto. His statement sounded like it came right out of an NRA newsletter. I guess he just wants to maintain the deplorable status quo and refuses to try anything that could possibly make Nevada safer.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 13, 2013 6:56 pm

Agree with 11:23. What a piece of shit.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 13, 2013 8:46 pm

This post got picked up by Above the Law! That seems to be happening a lot more lately. While Vegas may not have its share of competent attorneys, we do churn out more than our fair share of outrageous stories!

Double kickstands, bitches!

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 13, 2013 10:55 pm

Didn't the guy who tore up his hotel room at Wynn make ATL? Vegas is making a weekly appearance.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 13, 2013 11:00 pm

Yeah, they (and Gawker) just picked up on some of the Family Court sexual harrassment drama from April yesterday.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 14, 2013 12:11 am

Yeah, the family court sexual assault was picked up by a lot of national broadcast outlets this week even though its been weeks since

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 14, 2013 3:57 pm

Back to the matter at hand: I saw the guilty plea in this case and it's a tiered deal. He goes to bootcamp. If he completes that he goes on probation. If he completes that, he can actually withdraw the felony plea and change it to a gross misdemeanor conviction. This type of deal is typical for people with a limited record or no record and if it all works out he would no longer be a convicted felon.

Of course no matter what all of that would hopefully be looked at by state bars before he is allowed to actually be a lawyer!

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 14, 2013 6:26 pm

"Of course no matter what all of that would hopefully be looked at by state bars before he is allowed to actually be a lawyer!"

Right because if this guy were ever allowed to practice law, his mere presence in the profession would sully such a dignified, virtuous and noble group of people!

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 14, 2013 6:34 pm

People who abuse harmless animals cruelly like this should not be in positions of power over people in need — which is after all what lawyers do: Take care of people in need of advice or help.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 16, 2013 6:08 pm

Quit yer bitchin about Sandoval. The Universal background checks will do nothing to stop gun violence. Not one frickin thing.

Here is a plan. Enforce the laws that we have.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
June 17, 2013 5:42 am

Yer frickin right. Criminals and the mentally ill are just gonna get their frickin guns anyways. It dont matter whether it is out of the frickin trunk of a car or at a frickin Nevada gun show. Why have any frickin background checks at all? Our frickin laws now are perfect just not enforced. Nothing new gonna frickin work, so why even frickin try? Great frickin attitude…

northierthanthou
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northierthanthou
June 19, 2013 8:33 pm

What an auspicious way to begin a legal career! (Blech!)

Anonymous
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Anonymous
October 11, 2013 3:27 pm

Shame on the judge who accepted his plea deal! Justin Teixeira is a scum bag. Its too bad the judge did not do the right thing. Oh well, We aren't known for the best of judges in this town.

Anonymous
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Anonymous
November 4, 2013 6:50 am

The Judges husband chocked and allegedly killed the family dog and beat the judge when she tried to stop him. The only difference btwn Teixeira and Ed Miley is he wasn't already a lawyer and….married to a judge.