Scott Riggleman, 63, threatened to kill his estranged wife and her coworkers after he killed two of her dogs and displayed their bodies in the parking lot of their workplace. Four felonies, including stalking, making a terroristic threat, and two counts of cruelty to non-livestock animals, were filed against him last week after his arrest.
Threat of Murder
Riggleman’s ex-wife claimed that when she got to work at a church in the 9300 block of Panther Way on Dec. 5, she discovered the dead bodies of her black Labrador, Smoky, and her white pit bull mix, Frankie, in the spot where she usually parks.
The victim is worried that Riggleman will kill her, and leaving her dead dogs in front of her place of business is a ploy to make her feel uneasy and give the impression that he will also kill her.
The previous day, Riggleman’s estranged wife claimed she discovered a handwritten note on her car outside the church where the ex-husband demanded a meeting and threatened to kill her pets. Riggleman threatened to show up at her workplace, kill her coworkers, and then commit suicide, claiming that she repeatedly saw Riggleman pursuing her, a source posted.
When taking her daughter to school nearby, witnesses saw the dogs and reported them to the police. They noted that both dogs had been shot and stabbed multiple times in the chest, neck, and flank areas of their bodies before having their carcasses spread out and displayed in her parking space.
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Texas Protects Animals
The civil and criminal laws protecting animals in Texas are similar but differ in their punishments.
Suppose a judge finds that a person or people have oppressed animals in a civil case. In that case, the judge may order the removal of the person or people’s animals and the payment of restitution. Penalties include fines, jail time, community service, and probation. Those under 18 must also go through counseling if found guilty of animal cruelty.
Texas’ civil laws are more expansive and do not distinguish between domestic and wild animals, while the state’s criminal laws only apply to non-livestock animals. Civil statutes, however, adopt a much more limited definition of cruelty. People might thus take actions that are not punishable by the criminal laws of Texas but would still be subject to civil liability.
