Central Texas couple killed neighbor’s dog, attempted to cover up crime scene: affidavit

BEVERLY HILLS, Texas (KWTX) - Bobby Chandler, 64, and Angelita Chandler,70, were charged with cruelty to non-livestock animals, tampering with evidence, and possession of marijuana after allegedly shooting their neighbor’s dog, criminal complaints state.

Neighbors reported hearing gunshots, followed by a wounded dog’s cries, at about 4:00 a.m. on June 6 in the 1200 block of South 31st Street.

A witness told police they witnessed the Chandlers in the middle to the street picking up a dog with a reflective vest and leash, and then placing the dog in a trash bag, the criminal complaint states. That same witness said the Chandlers then used a water hose to wash the dog’s blood off the roadway.

According to the criminal complaint, the witness further said the Chandlers then took the trash bag containing the dead dog into their home. This was reportedly recorded on video, and the footage was turned over to police, the document states.

“Sufficient evidence was collected to obtain a search warrant for the suspect’s residence, and during the execution of the search warrant, the Beverly Hills Police Department seized multiple firearms and discovered a usable amount of marijuana,” said Beverly Hills Police Chief Kory Martin.

The dog killed was a German Shepherd named River, a dog rescued by a local family, police said. Police said River had been out of the yard and at the time of the incident, and was wearing a reflective vest and leash.

Police said Bobby Roy Chandler had reported animal problems in the area the day before, and officers had met with him regarding the issues. “Bobby was warned not to discharge firearms to deal with the issue by a Beverly Hills Police Officer,” said Martin.

A Beverly Hills Animal Control Officer also visited the area the evening before the incident and asked for permission to place a trap in the yard to help, but Bobby Chandler Chandler refused, police said.

“We know that they intentionally did not report the incident to our agency, so we could investigate as soon as it occurred. We are very sad that we could not recover the body of River and her personal effects on the family during the search warrant. We did make an attempt to see if Angelita would provide us with the location of River’s body, so we could return it to the family, as they wanted to have the ability to find some peace. As it is her right not to self-incriminate, she refused to provide the details of River’s location,” said police in a statement,

Anyone with information about the location of River to please contact Beverly Hills Police Department at 254-752-2585 and report it as the family would appreciate the ability to mourn their loss with River being laid to rest.

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