Alabama man charged with animal cruelty in Georgia white supremacist 'ritual sacrifice'

The killing of a farm animal during what authorities have said was a “ritual sacrifice” during a training camp in Georgia for a white supremacist group has led to charges against five additional men.

Patrik Mathews, William Garfield Bilbrough IV, Brian Mark Lemley Jr., Brandon Gregory Ashley and Duncan Christopher Trimmell were charged last week with aggravated animal cruelty and all but Trimmell were also charged with livestock theft by a Floyd County grand jury, according to an indictment first reported by the Rome News-Tribune. It was not immediately clear Friday whether any of them had a lawyer who could comment on the charges.

Mathews, Lemley and Bilbrough were also arrested in Maryland and Delaware on federal felony charges in January 2020.

Floyd County prosecutors identified the animal, which they say was beheaded during a meeting of the group in October 2019, as a ram. Federal prosecutors have said it was a goat. They’ve said the men stole the animal and attempted unsuccessfully to kill it with a knife and then ended up shooting it to death and cutting off its head.

Read more: https://www.al.com/news/2021/04/alabama-man-charged-with-cruelty-to-goat-at-georgia-white-supremacist-camp.html