Suspected horse killer accuses attacker

PENSACOLA, Fla. (WALA) - Richard Owen made one thing very clear to FOX10 News in his interview Thursday. He said he has been wrongfully accused for the shooting deaths of two horses on his Baronne Street property.

He believes the crime was committed by Chris Bayhi, who faces felony battery charges for a fight he and Owen got into three months ago.

Owen said Bayhi killed the horses on the same morning he was to testify against Bayhi's co-defendant, calling it a scare tactic.

But Escambia County deputies, and Bayhi, disagree.

"I have no idea why he would say that," Bayhi said. "I guess to get the blame off him and put it on me after that incident we had with the fight."

Bayhi denies the accusations, saying he wasn't even in town at the time of the incident believed to have occurred between 5 and 9:30 Tuesday morning.

"I was in Mossy Head, Florida, staying with my girlfriend," Bayhi said. "I did not come back to Pensacola until Tuesday morning at around 10 or 10:30."

According to the arrest report, multiple witnesses heard two gunshots fired in the area of Owen's property Tuesday morning. But they didn't see anything. That's because Owen had allegedly taken the horses deep into the woods, not visible to the naked eye.

Bayhi said he would never hurt an animal.

"Anybody that knows me knows that if I see a hurt animal on the side of the road, I stop and pick it up and take it to the vet or wildlife place or some place like that," Bayhi said. "I would never hurt an animal."

Both men will appear in court next month for their charges. If convicted Owen could spend up to ten years behind bars.

Owen told FOX10 News that the ballistics report would prove his innocent.

FOX10 News asked for that report, but the Sheriff's Office said it may take two months before it's complete.