Reward Increases in Horse Killings

There has been an increase in the reward for whoever finds the person or people behind an antigay hate crime that resulted in the death of eight horses in McConnelsville, Ohio.

The Humane Society of the United States is offering an additional $2,500 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the arsonist. The Blue Ribbon Arson Committee has already offered $5,000 for the information.

On the morning of April 24, Brent Whitehouse went to check on one of his horses, a quarter horse who was due to give birth. Instead, he came out to see all eight of his horses, including a week-old horse named Buddy, engulfed in flames. Whitehouse, who is gay, found the phrase "Fags are freaks" painted on the side of the barn where the horses were kept.

Karen Minton, the state director for the Humane Society, shared her outrage over the deaths in a statement last week.

"We are outraged by the intense suffering of the eight innocent horses that burned to death and we hope our reward helps investigators find the person or persons responsible for this callous act," Minton said.