Florida Man Slaughters And Eats His Pet Peacocks To Prove A Point To His Neighbor

Two neighbors. Some peacocks. A feud, to say the least.

Context

A neighborhood feud in Hudson, Florida (a suburb of Tampa) turned shockingly violent, according to reporting from Fox 13 Tampa Bay.

Craig Vogt owned a bunch of peacocks. A neighbor, a woman named Tricia Day-Barker, kept feeding the peacocks, but Craig did not like this and warned her not do it. Finally, Craig got so angry about his neighbor feeding the peacocks that he exploded.

The Act

Vogt killed two of his own peacocks with a knife, then described preparing and eating them. He wrote about it in a letter that his neighbor found in her mailbox.

Police offers with the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office investigated. The letter and Vogt’s own admission confirmed the killings. He said he acted out of spite and to “prove a point” — we can only assume that point is respect your neighbors wishes or bad things will happen.

The complaint states he slit the birds’ throats, then fried them in a pan and ate them.

Craig Vogt Charges

He was arrested and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, a felony. In court, his bond was set at $25,000 and a public defender was assigned. He remains in the Pasco County Jail as of September, 26, 2025. He said, according to The Miami Herald, that he “plans to kill all his pet peacocks to prevent anyone from taking custody of them” once he is released.