After Kristy Noem boasted about shooting her puppy in cold blood, now there are reports that right
wing figurehead Kevin Roberts told several people that he killed a neighbor’s dog with a shovel to
stop her from making noise.

The dog, Loca, disappeared in 2004, the year Roberts was alleged to have boasted about killing her.
It’s impossible to verify whether the story is true or not but there is evidence that casts suspicion on
Roberts.

The chair of the history department at New Mexico State University where Roberts worked recalled hearing the story, as did two other people, a professor andher spouse and three others who said they heard the account at the time from others. Roberts hadn’t said the dog was a danger, according to these reports, he had just said the dog was loud, and he appeared proud of what he had done.

Roberts named the neighbor who owned the dogs, Daniel Aran, and claimed that animal control had
come to rescue multiple dogs from the property, casting himself as a concerned neighbor, as well as
citing that Aran went to prison for cocaine distribution. Aran and his mother denied that animal
control had come to rescue any dogs. They both said they had a dog go missing around 2004, the
year when Roberts boasted about killing a dog. They spoke with affection about their dog, “my little
Loca.” Aran said Loca had been his favorite dog. “She was a little, little thing like this,” Aran said.
“She was a tiny, cute little thing.”

Aran said he and his mother went searching for the dog but could never find her, and dog catchers
weren’t able to find her either.

We will never know what happened to little Loca, or what she had to endure in her final moments.
Despite concerning evidence, this cold case will never go investigated and little Loca’s mystery will
not be solved. Any justice that may be due to her will not be served.

Although we have no way of knowing whether these allegations are true, it’s a chilling story that
should serve as a reminder that animals do not receive the same treatment in the criminal justice
system that humans do. Loca deserved better than this.

At Freedom 4 Animals we work with lawmakers, nonprofits, animal rights groups, and individuals to
seek justice for animals and their human custodians who have been harmed, and to advocate for
animal rights within the criminal justice system and beyond. We work to educate the public and
anyone who is interesting in learning about animal rights about the role of animals in society and
how we can re-address those roles to achieve freedom and equality for animals.

To learn more about how animals are treated differently in the criminal justice system and how
violence to animals predicts other forms of violence, please visit the resources on our website.