Progress! Wyoming Wolf Torturer May Finally Face Justice
Thanks to the incredible determination of this community, and of wolf advocates across the nation and around the world, Cody Roberts, the vile perpetrator of the horrific torture and killing of a yearling wolf (later named Hope) in Daniel, Wyoming, may finally be held accountable.
Sublette County, where the shocking act of cruelty took place, is now convening a grand jury to consider whether Roberts should be indicted on charges of felony animal cruelty. According to reports, summonses have been issued to select a 12-person jury, and subpoenas for witnesses are going out, with a decision on whether to indict expected later this month.
Grand juries are rarely used in Wyoming — roughly once every ten years — yet this judicial tool allows cases to move forward with greater confidentiality and increased subpoena power for investigators. This is especially important in a small town like Daniel (population 148), where the crime took place, as residents may be hesitant to speak out against someone from their tight-knit community.
Since Hope’s killing, 16,551 Species Unite supporters have written letters to Sublette County Sheriff K.C. Lehr, urging him to enforce Wyoming Statute 6-3-1005(a)(ii), which makes it a felony when a person “knowingly, and with intent to cause death or undue suffering, beats with cruelty, tortures, torments or mutilates an animal.” That sustained public pressure helped spur Sheriff Lehr to launch an investigation in partnership with Sublette County Attorney Clayton Melinkovich.
This grand jury is the result of over a year of dedicated activism from a passionate movement of wildlife advocates who refused to let this case be buried. Although Melinkovich can no longer comment now that the grand jury process is underway, he went on record in March stating that felony charges were still on the table. “The statute says ‘an animal,’ and ‘an animal’ includes a predatory animal,” he said, while further clarifying that although Wyoming law includes an exemption for hunting, that carve-out does not mean a person who abuses a wild predatory animal is fully exempted from felony animal cruelty laws.
While the grand jury is just the beginning, it’s a major step forward — and a victory in itself. The fact that this case is still advancing, more than a year later, shows that it hasn’t been forgotten. To return an indictment, at least nine of the twelve jurors must agree to bring charges. If that happens, the indictment becomes the official charging document, and the case moves forward to court.
This moment is a direct result of the massive public outcry that ensured this act of violence did not disappear with a $250 fine and no further consequences. From sending tens of thousands of letters, to sharing this story far and wide, to rallying on the steps of the Capitol with a coalition of wolf advocates in D.C., this community never stopped fighting to ensure that Hope’s story wasn’t swept under the rug — as it so easily could have been.
Thank you for being part of this push for justice. We’ll keep you updated as this process unfolds.