The most publicized crime in Los Angeles: 21 years in prison for the young man who robbed Lady Gaga’s dogs
The LA court sentenced the 20-year-old who shot and seriously injured the pop singer’s dog walker, and together with two other accomplices stole her French bulldogs
A court sentenced a man who shot Lady Gaga’s dog walker and stole her two French bulldogs in Los Angeles last year to 21 years in prison in one of the most high-profile robberies, so the star offered a $500,000 reward for the return of the pets.
The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office on Monday handed down the sentence for 20-year-old James Howard Jackson, one of five men connected to the violent robbery in which Ryan Fisher was injured.
Jackson pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, which led to a plea deal in which he admitted to ‘causing great bodily harm’. A statement from the prosecutor’s office stated: “The plea deal holds Mr. Jackson accountable for committing a cold-hearted act of violence, and provides justice for our victim.”
Remember, on February 24, 2021, Fisher was walking with Lady Gaga’s three French bulldogs, when he suddenly fell victim to an armed robbery. He was shot, and the attackers stole two of the dogs, Koji and Gustav, and fled the scene.
Jackson, 19-year-old Jaelyn Witt and 27-year-old Lafayette Wiley drove around Los Angeles to steal French bulldogs, an expensive breed that can sell for thousands of dollars. So, they came across Fisher walking the three dogs – although it should be noted that they didn’t know they were the pop star’s pets.
Two of the men jumped out of the car at Fisher and yelled at him to bring them the dogs, while pulling on the leashes. The dogwalker began to struggle with them with a bottle of champagne he was holding, but then one of the men began to choke him.
Then, Jackson pulled out a semi-automatic handgun and fired at Fisher, allowing the robbers to escape with two of the dogs, while the third, Asia, hid in the bushes—and Fisher lay bleeding on the sidewalk.
Fisher with Lady Gaga’s dogs (right), convicted felon Jackson (left)
Fisher was very seriously injured and luckily survived the shooting. Days later, the two dogs were returned to Lady Gaga after she offered a $500,000 reward for them, this by a woman who was later also charged with the crime.
As you may recall, last April Jackson was mistakenly released from custody due to what officials called a “clerical error”, prompting a police manhunt for him until he was found in August and arrested again.
In a post published on Instagram, Fisher commented on the sentence: “It’s hard to believe that it’s been two years since I took Asia, Koji and Gustav for an evening walk, then in one moment I suddenly found myself fighting with everything I had to protect these dogs from a robbery. But this is not It was enough: they beat me, strangled me, shot me and left me to die, bleeding on the sidewalk and fighting for my life. Koji and Gustav also disappeared.”
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