Ohio teens indicted as adults on charges of animal cruelty, theft in slaying of baby alpaca

Grand jury indicts teens in Ohio alpaca slaying

HAMILTON, Ohio — A grand jury has indicted two teens accused in the theft and fatal beating of a 3-month-old alpaca living on an Ohio farm.

A Butler County grand jury on Wednesday indicted 17-year-old Nicholas Reynolds and 18-year-old Marcus Miller, both of the Middletown area. Each is charged with five counts of breaking and entering, grand theft, vandalism, tampering with evidence and animal cruelty.

The alpaca named Masterpiece was valued at $8,000. It was taken in the winter from a farm in southwest Ohio.

Miller was 17 at the time of his arrest, and both were charged initially as juveniles. A juvenile court judge ruled last month that the two should be tried as adults.

Reynolds’ attorney had no comment. A message left for Miller’s attorney was not immediately returned.