A deadshit poacher from Missouri has been ordered to repeatedly watch Bambi as part of his punishment for illegally killing hundreds of deer.
David Berry Jr was arrested in August alongside his father David Berry Sr and his brother Kyle Berry. It is one of the biggest poaching cases in Missouri history. Authorities are not sure how many deer the poachers have killed but Andy Barnes, Lawrence County’s conservation agent has claimed it could be “several hundred”.
Berry Jr was sentenced to serve a year in Lawrence County Prison after pleading guilty to illegally killing wildlife. He was also sentenced to 120 days in Barton County prison for a firearms probation violation. All members of the Berry family have had their hunting privileges revoked for life.
Watch: Bambi – Original 1924 Trailer
The men paid $70,000 in fines and court costs. But the punishment did not end there. As well as serving time, Judge Robert Geroge has ordered that Berry Jr must “view the Walt Disney movie Bambi, with the first viewing being on or before December 23, 2018, and at least one such viewing each month thereafter” whilst incarcerated.
If a movie about a clumsy deer can’t save a man’s soul, nothing can.
Whilst there was a financial motivation behind the murder of the deer, authorities have claimed that the hunt was fueled by ego. “Taking just the heads is their version of obtaining a ‘trophy’ and leaving the carcass behind is merely an afterthought. While there are some cases where poachers go after the antlers for profit, with this bunch it was more about the thrill of the kill itself,” division chief of the Missouri Department of Conservation told the Springfield News-Leader.
