The man accused of killing the Hollywood Cemetery buck on Thursday pleaded guilty to multiple charges related to the incident, as well as violations in the deaths of two other deer. Jason Walters, of Richmond, pleaded guilty to killing a deer and/or exceeding bag limits, earning a buck and trespassing to hunt, fish or trap in connection with the December 14 killing of the buck, which frequented Hollywood Cemetery and was a fixture among central Virginia’s wildlife community. One of the photos Jason Walters submitted in December to Star City Whitetails, a website and Facebook page for hunters, is seen.
Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources investigators later determined the buck, well known for being seen in Richmond’s historic Hollywood Cemetery, had been killed illegally and say Walters has been charged in its killing. Walters had previously submitted a photo of himself and the dead buck to a hunting page on Facebook, claiming to have shot the buck in Prince Edward County. But investigators recognized the animal as the Hollywood Cemetery buck and determined Walters had killed it illegally.
On two of the charges, Walters was sentenced to 6 months in prison with 3 months suspended. The prison terms will run concurrently; Walters will spend 3 months behind bars. He was also fined nearly $2,000.
He is scheduled to report on Aug. 21, with work release granted. Bill Draper said he was “disappointed but not terribly surprised” by the killing of the Hollywood Cemetery bu.