Teen Boy Arrested for Allegedly Killing Chickens at Isla Vista Church

The 14-Year-Old Is Suspected of Bludgeoning Four Hens to Death at Chicken Coop Earlier This June

Sheriff’s deputies have arrested the 14-year-old boy suspected of killing four hens — Shadow, Sunshine, Speckles, and Siracha — at a chicken coop located at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Isla Vista. | Credit: Isla Vista Composting Collective

Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s deputies arrested a 14-year-old boy on Wednesday for allegedly killing chickens in Isla Vista earlier this month.

The Sheriff’s Office sought the community’s assistance in tracking down the suspect, releasing images of the masked teen at the scene of the crime. | Credit: Sheriff’s Office

On June 16, the Sheriff’s Office responded to reports of four dead chickens at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church on the 6500 block of Picasso Road in Isla Vista.

After further investigation and witness accounts, sheriff’s investigators suspected a single individual committed the act by trespassing into a locked chicken coop owned by the Isla Vista Community Services District’s Compost Collective and beating the chickens to death with a bat-like device, said Raquel Zick, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Office.

“This heinous act has left us all in shock and sorrow,” wrote Carly Marto, program manager of the I.V. Compost Collective, in an Instagram post the day after the killings. “Our chickens were not just animals, but cherished members of our community. They brought us joy and companionship, and their loss will be deeply felt.”

The collective held a memorial service for the hens — Shadow, Sunshine, Speckles, and Siracha — on June 18 at the church.

Then on the afternoon of June 26, an anonymous member of the community spotted the suspect on El Greco near Embarcadero del Mar. Deputies detained the juvenile and determined that he was the suspect in the case based on supporting evidence. The suspect was later released to his guardian, and the case now heads to juvenile court.