Man kills and eats his pet peacocks because neighbor fed them, Florida cops say

A man is accused of killing and eating two of his pet peacocks to “spite” a neighbor in Florida, officials say.

The 61-year-old Hudson man, Craig Vogt, was arrested Sept. 23 after deputies say a neighbor received a disturbing letter from him and called authorities, a complaint filed in Pasco County said.

In the letter, which Vogt put in her mailbox, he wrote that he “killed two of his pet peacocks because she continued feeding them,” according to the complaint.

The neighbor said she had previously gotten into a verbal dispute with Vogt over her feeding the birds, documents read.

Speaking with deputies, Vogt said he wrote the letter to “prove a point,” according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office. He killed the birds by cutting their throats, then cooked them in a frying pan and ate them, the complaint says.

Vogt said that, “upon his release, he plans to kill all his pet peacocks to prevent anyone from taking custody of them,” according to deputies.

He was arrested on a charge of aggravated animal cruelty and booked into the Land O’ Lakes Detention Center, officials said.

Hudson is a roughly 40-mile drive northwest from downtown Tampa.

This story was originally published September 28, 2025 at 11:51 AM with the headline "Man kills and eats his pet peacocks because neighbor fed them, Florida cops say."