Hollywood Buck Killed Suspected Poacher Charged

Conservation Police Officers from the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources’ (DWR) Law Enforcement Division have identified suspects in the case of a well-known white-tailed buck illegally killed recently. Charges are pending, and the investigation is ongoing.

The primary suspect sent photos of himself with the nontypical 29-point buck to a Facebook page, claiming to have killed the buck in Prince Edward County, Virginia, with a muzzleloader. Members of the hunting and wildlife viewing communities alerted DWR Law Enforcement that they recognized the buck pictured as one that frequented the Hollywood Cemetery in the Oregon Hill neighborhood of Richmond, expressing concern that the buck had been killed illegally. The “Hollywood Cemetery buck” had been photographed frequently and was recognizable due to his large, unusual antlers.

DWR Conservation Police Officers (CPOs) made contact with a suspect and through interviews determined that the deer was killed illegally. Through the course of their investigation, DWR Law Enforcement has recovered evidence to assist in the investigation and is actively working to identify others that may have been involved or have relevant information. “The illegal killing of the Hollywood Cemetery buck is a serious violation of Virginia’s wildlife laws and will be a priority for the Conservation Police Officers assigned to the investigation until all leads have been exhausted, all evidence has been collected, and those involved have been charged,” said Major Ryan Shuler, who serves as the Deputy Chief of DWR Law Enforcement.

DWR Law Enforcement will continue to work with the police departments of the city of Richmond and Chesterfield County, as well as the Hollywood Cemetery and the James River Park System, in investigating this case.