A dispute over a car involving Love ended with a stolen Siberian Husky shot dead in a Southeast Washington alley, according to a five-count federal indictment unsealed Wednesday. Prosecutors say Keith Packer, 35, Tierra Love, 38, and Antwon Sockwell, 36, hatched a scheme to pressure the dog's owner by holding the animal hostage, then killed it after he refused to hand over his vehicle.
The indictment, filed on September 18 and unsealed September 23, charges the trio with animal crushing, conspiracy, interstate communications with intent to extort, interstate stalking, and use of a firearm during a crime of violence, according to The BayNet. U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro called it a “calculated scheme to extort,” saying in a statement that the defendants “terrorized the victim, and took hostage and executed his innocent dog,” according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia.
Prosecutors allege the conspiracy began around July 8, 2026, after a vehicle dispute involving Love. Packer and Love allegedly planned to harm the victim and his dog, later bringing Sockwell into the scheme, per the same account. On the morning of July 11, Packer and Love allegedly stole the Siberian Husky from the victim's Maryland home and brought it to Sockwell's apartment building in Washington, D.C.
Threats Escalated Before the Shooting
Love and Packer allegedly sent threatening phone calls and text messages to the victim before Packer drove Love and Sockwell to the victim’s Maryland home to confront him in person over the vehicle. When the victim refused to give them access to his car because his dog had not been returned, the group allegedly returned to D.C. Shortly before the dog was killed, Packer allegedly sent two texts to the victim reading “all dawgs [sic] go to” and “anything you wanna say last,” according to federal court documents reported by Daily Voice.
One of the defendants then shot the Husky in the head with a 9mm firearm in an alley in Southeast Washington, the indictment alleges. Investigators later recovered a 9mm firearm matching that caliber from Sockwell's D.C. residence during execution of a search warrant on September 11, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Arrests and Custody Across Two Jurisdictions
Love was arrested in Virginia on September 23 and made an initial appearance in federal court in Washington the same day. Sockwell is being held in federal custody pending trial, while Packer remains in Maryland state custody on separate state charges as his federal case proceeds, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The federal animal crushing charge stems from the Preventing Animal Cruelty and Torture Act, enacted in November 2019, which expanded federal jurisdiction to prosecute severe, intentional acts of animal abuse tied to interstate commerce and carries prison terms of up to seven years, according to Cron Israels & Stark. Before that law, federal statutes primarily targeted the creation or sale of so-called animal crush videos rather than the underlying abuse itself.
Firearm Charge Adds Years to Potential Sentences
Sockwell and Packer each face up to seven years in prison on the animal-crushing charge, plus a mandatory minimum five-year sentence on the firearm count that must run consecutively to any other sentence imposed, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Love faces up to seven years on the animal-crushing charge and could face additional penalties on the remaining counts. Under 18 U.S.C. § 2261A, the interstate stalking charge included in the indictment carries potential penalties of up to five years in federal prison and requires specified intent, as well as conduct that causes, attempts to cause, or is reasonably expected to cause fear of serious harm or substantial emotional distress, according to Eisner Gorin LLP.
The Criminal Investigations Unit of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia is investigating the case, with assistance from the Metropolitan Police Department and the Prince George's County Police Department. The Humane Rescue Alliance also assisted.
The case involves allegations of animal abuse, gun crime and violent extortion.
All three defendants face federal charges. Key questions remain unresolved, including whether forensic testing will confirm the firearm recovered from Sockwell's apartment was the exact weapon used to kill the dog, and which of the three defendants allegedly pulled the trigger.
