Mare Shot Between The Eyes At Balmoral

[Elgin]

Standardbred Found Shot Dead
Published: May 31, 2012 11:25 am ET

A standardbred that was in to go has been found dead, shot between the eyes, one day before it was scheduled to race.
According to a report by nbcchicago.com, the horse in question was found Tuesday, May 29, a day before she was to race at Balmoral Park in Illinois.
It is believed that Lady May Z, an eight-year-old daughter of Eicarls Diehard, was shot between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
"It was deliberate, terrible," owner Heidi Geib said in the report. "I think somebody sick was out here messing around."
Police believe that a white, newer-model two-door pickup truck seen in the area around the two-hour timeframe may have something to do with the crime.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lake County Sheriff's Department at 800-750-2746.

(With files from nbcchicago.com) 

(Standardbred Canada)

[careless hal]

The was not to race at Balmoral the next night.  According to some folks at Balmoral the owners are general thought of as POS.  When one trainer saw the report, the response was " theres the paddock fencing the SOB stole from me and denied taking!"  Turns out they were boarding at the trainer's farm, but hadn't paid a bill in 6 months so they were told to get out.  Also heard that they often under fed their horses. (that's a nice way of saying starving them)  Of course none of this makes it ok to shoot the poor mare between the eyes,  But, I smell a skunk in the whole story.

[Elgin]

Police seek information in the fatal shooting of a Standardbred
Thursday, May 31, 2012 - by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Law enforcement authorities in Lowell, Ind. are searching for answers in the wake of the apparent shooting death of an 8-year-old Standardbred on the farm of its owner and trainer, James Woodley.
Woodley said he trained Lady May Z (Eicarls Diehard--Zoot Suit Riot) this past Tuesday and then turned her out and went to train another of his horses. The lightly raced 8-year-old mare was found dead later in the day, have sustained what one law enforcement officer described to WGN-TV as a wound caused by a small-caliber bullet.
Investigators say the apparent shooting likely occurred between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
The mare, who had not started until last year, at age seven, had been training back and was scheduled to start in a qualifying race at Balmoral Park on Wednesday morning. In 13 career starts, all in 2011, she had won one race and $2,591 and had a 1:59.1 mark.
Anyone with information is instructed to call the Lake County (Ind.) sheriff's office at (219) 755-3346 or its hotline at (800) 750-2746.
A necropsy was scheduled to be performed today at Purdue University.

[Elgin]

Murdered Illinois Mare Not Shot
Published: June 4, 2012 10:32 am ET

Police in Illinois' Cedar Creek Township have announced that the standardbred Lady May Z that was killed last week, one day before she was in to race, was not shot, as previously reported.
According to an article by nwitimes.com, it is now believed that the mare was killed via a captive bolt gun and the cause of death was blunt-force trauma to the head, not a firearm, as what was originally thought. The cause of death was confirmed via necropsy.
An initial report of the incident last week stated that it is believed that the eight-year-old daughter of Eicarls Diehard was murdered between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 29. At the time, police believed that a white, newer-model two-door pickup truck seen in the area around the two-hour timeframe may have had something to do with the crime.
Anyone who has information regarding the killing is asked to call the Lake County Sheriff

[Just Saying]

A captive bolt gun is what is used in a slaughterhouse. It has a gunpowder "blank" cartrige that drives the bolt out just far enough to cause death to the animal... not a bullet flying around. (I worked in a processing plant during a summer break in High School)

Kinda odd that a random individual would own one... never saw one outside of a slaughterhouse.

[AmyHollar]

Very fishy story.

[Just Saying]

Very fishy story.

If I were the detective I would be checking for insurance policies. She was 8 yrs old with $2591 on her card lifetime. There's no reason to murder one like that... and why weren't any of the others attacked? The Humane Society is offering a reward to whoever provides the info that leads to the conviction of the perp. 

ps  Detectives said in a Chicago Sun-Times article that they are looking for someone familiar with the slaughter house business. As I posted before, those "bolt-guns" are very isolated to the slaughter biz. They'll catch this idiot.