WARNING – The story contains details some may find distressing!
On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced that eight felony charges have been filed against 34-years-old BLAYNE MICHAEL PEREZ, of Everett, in Snohomish County Superior Court. The charges include seven charges of first-degree animal cruelty and one charge of first-degree malicious mischief.
PEREZ is accused of shooting and killing birds and squirrels on his property, nailing their carcasses to his shed, and shooting a neighbor's cat.
In a press release, Ferguson explained that the criminal charges stem from a report that a resident filed with the Everett Police Department on January 19, 2022, about her neighbor who for two weeks had repeatedly shot birds and squirrels and then displayed the dead animals around his property on 2443 Columbia Avenue in Everett. According to a probable cause affidavit, the resident provided police with “photos of the suspect pointing a long gun into the sky and trees, and of dead crows and squirrels gruesomely nailed or screwed into the back of a shed” on his property. She further reported that some of the birds were still alive after being shot, before the suspect then shoved sticks down their throats to display them.
On February 5, 2022, Officer Barabasz with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), in his plain-clothes walk by the area and saw PEREZ “pointing his long gun into the sky and shooting at birds.” “Officer Barabasz heard a popping sound consistent with that of an air rifle as several crows responded by cawing and chittering excitedly”, stated the affidavit.
Officer Barabasz took pictures of PEREZ “walking slowly with his long gun pointed skyward.”
When on February 18, 2022, Everett Police and WDFW officers served a search warrant on PEREZ’s residence he was not home. Officers found and photographed numerous dead wildlife, including, crows, squirrels, and multiple species of songbirds in various gruesome displays.
According to the affidavit, some of the birds were screwed to the back wall of PEREZ’s shed, with their wings splayed open. “Small songbirds were impaled on barbecue skewers and sticks.”
The affidavit goes on to say that a “deceased Steller’s jay appeared to have been used as live bait in a box trap in the yard, with another bird impaled on a stick tied to the trap. A wrench found on the back deck of Perez's residence had blood and feathers stuck to it, consistent with being used to inflict blunt force trauma on birds. Similarly, a golf club was used to impale another crow to the roof of the shed.”
From PEREZ’s residence, officers removed two air rifles and more than a dozen deceased animals, except for those animals in advanced stages of decay.
The affidavit detailed the conditions the voiceless victims were found in and stated that “Some of the 8 crows removed had been impaled, screwed, or nailed to the shed or other surfaces in the backyard. Four small songbirds were removed, including chickadees and a junco. Two chickadees were impaled on the twin tines of a barbecue skewer. A squirrel had been nailed through its skull to the back wall of the shed, with the rest of its body hanging below. One crow was nailed to a log with its wings splayed open, and another crow next to it had its head removed.”
One of the WDFW officers described PEREZ’s residence as the most disturbing and grotesque scene that he had encountered in his entire career.
Meanwhile, WDFW Officer Stephanie Tank called PEREZ and left him a message on his voicemail. When PEREZ called Officer Tank back, he told her that he considered the birds and wildlife to be pests that were “fucking up my shit.” PEREZ also told her that he started shooting the birds around the big snowfall in December 2021. However, the photos that the resident provided to Everett Police in January 2022, did not show any snow on the ground, and that made the timeline consistent with January 5th onward.
PEREZ went on to tell Officer Tank that the reason for displaying the birds and dead animals was a deterrent to any remaining birds, similar to a scarecrow. He denied any of the birds were alive after he shot them.
In April of 2022, officers were alerted to a dead squirrel impaled through his/her skull to a tree at the entrance of Interurban Trail in Everett and upon inspection, they recognized the manner of display as very similar to those impaled on PEREZ’s shed. When they went to PEREZ’s home to question him about the squirrel, they were met by multiple neighbors who said that PEREZ had continued to shoot and kill animals. Some residents even said they had to remove their bird feeders to avoid PEREZ turning their yards into a killing field.
Meanwhile, the U.S. National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory performed necropsies on fourteen of the animals removed from PEREZ’s residence.
The veterinary pathologist determined that the cause of deaths was a mixture of fatal and non-fatal injuries.
On August 17, 2022, Everett police received a report of a man shooting at squirrels and dismembering them with a knife in Lowell Riverfront Park. As an officer was making their way to the park, they saw an older white Subaru station wagon go by with an animal pelt attached to the roof above the driver's door. Based on witness descriptions, police determined that the suspect in the park matched PEREZ and when they contacted him, he admitted to shooting at squirrels and skinning a rabbit.
On the morning of September 25, 2022, Sean and Sarah Moore were gardening and drinking coffee in their yard while their 8-month-old cat named Hades was playing on the other side of the fence near the street. At one point, Mr. Moore saw an older white Subaru station wagon that slowly pulled up the street and immediately heard a popping noise. After the noise, the couple saw Hades frantically climbing the fence, crying in pain and bleeding from an apparent eye injury. Mrs. Moore yelled at the driver as the Subaru first drove away, then circled the block before fleeing the area. Sarah observed part of the license plate, which matched the one registered to PEREZ’s address.
When police took Mr. and Mrs. Moore to PEREZ’s residence, they both positively identified the Subaru as the one present when Hades was shot. Furthermore, videos obtained from their neighbor's security cameras also confirmed that PEREZ’s vehicle was the one involved in the shooting of Hades. PEREZ can be seen driving the Subaru in one of the related security camera videos.
Officers also saw air gun pellets on the front driver and passenger seats of the car. They then knocked on PEREZ’s door multiple times, but no one responded. Later that day, police contacted PEREZ at his residence and he denied shooting Hades claiming he was in Lynnwood at the time.
Police FINALLY placed PEREZ under arrest and as he was being cuffed, he said: “Since we already got me lying, can I stand here and tell you the truth in front of my girlfriend?”
After officers read PEREZ his Miranda rights, he said understood those rights, but wished to waive them and speak to the officers. PEREZ then admitted to driving around the neighborhood slowly and shooting at birds and various wild animals but denied knowingly shooting a cat.
As for Hades’ condition, as you can imagine the furbaby suffered extensive injuries. Hades’ retina was damaged beyond repair, necessitating surgery to remove his eye. Metal fragments were surgically removed, including below his right ear. His right mandible was fractured, extending to the temporal mandibular joint. Hades’ veterinary care and medical bills resulted in costing more than $13,000.
Don’t bother wondering on what bond PEREZ is being held because according to HeraldNet, “In court papers, prosecutors did not object to Perez remaining out of custody, with the condition he stay away from any animals while the case is pending.”
PEREZ’s arraignment is scheduled to take place on March 27, 2023.
In the press release, Ferguson said that under state law and the Washington State Constitution, the Attorney General’s Office does not have authority to initiate criminal investigations, unless it receives and accepts a referral from a county prosecutor or the governor. The Attorney General’s Office accepted a referral from the Snohomish County Prosecuting Attorney in this case.
The press release contains the affidavit of probable cause filed with the court in its entirety.
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