Hunter pleads guilty to killing Hollywood Cemetery buck

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 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.

121923 star city whitetails p01 — 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.

Courtesy of Star City Whitetails

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 buck.

BILL DRAPER

Wildlife officials say Richmond area should have fewer deer

The killing sparked outrage among the buck’s many admirers.

Wildlife photographer Bill Draper previously told the Times-Dispatch that the Hollywood Cemetery Buck was accustomed to encountering people and, as a result, lacked caution. Walters took advantage of that fact when he killed the buck, Draper said.

Tamsen Kingry, CEO of the Richmond SPCA, described the killing as “cowardly and immoral.”