Suspects accused of killing pet turkey

GULF BREEZE, Fla. (WALA) - Two teenagers were arrested for killing a family's pet turkey according to the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office.

The Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Office said 18-year-old Jacob Provo and 19-year-old Joshua Anderso told them they planned to eat the turkey at Thanksgiving after they killed it on Nov. 18.

The Caponi family had owned Tom the turkey for over a year.

Brian Caponi said he awoke Monday morning to feed his animals when he noticed Tom was gone.

“He is the one that comes up to you. He follows you like a dog; he doesn’t run. He wasn’t there, and my initial instinct was to walk around the property,” said Carponi.

He said his first thought was a coyote had eaten Tom because that had happened before to his chickens. He said then he thought maybe his dogs, but Tom was 30 pounds and there were no signs on his property that led him to believe so.

“I looked in the shed just by chance, and that’s when I saw the blood and the feathers,” said Carponi. “I said, ‘Alright, I’m going to check the video camera to see what happened.’ And that’s when I got the biggest shock of my life.”

Caponi said he saw two men leaving his property with the turkey around 10 p.m. when he checked his security cameras. One was running along his fence and the other, was carrying a dead turkey.

"We understand he shot him with a bow at point blank range. I mean he's not a hunt. He's not game, just wants to come up with you and say hi," said Carponi.

He said it’s scary to know two people were on his property around 10 p.m. only an hour after him and his wife got back home.

It’s nerve racking to the Carponis who believe the teens were watching the house before sneaking onto their property.

Provo, who lived nearby, was identified by his pickup truck, according to authorities. Caponi recognized it when it was parked on his private drive earlier in the week.

He said he never had trouble with Provo or his family, and his heart goes out to Provo’s parents.

“His parents didn’t do anything wrong. They don’t deserve this and we, my family, doesn’t deserve this,” Carponi said.

Police tracked down Provo's truck Monday night and saw the dead turkey in the tailgate, which was down. Anderson was also in the truck.

“All the kids nieces, nephews, they all loved him and we have pictures of tom the kids were drawing he wasn’t just a turkey,” said Carponi.

Carponi said he and his wife were able to burry Tom in the backyard.

He said it’s still hard for him to get up and feed the animals without Tom there. He said Thanksgiving is going to be difficult not only for his wife, but for the kids who once loved to play with Tom.

Authorities said Provo admitted to killing the animal with a bow and arrow on the Caponi's property, and that he was actually headed to butcher the animal to prepare to eat for Thanksgiving.

Provo and Anderson were both charged with armed burglary, armed trespassing and theft of livestock as well as cruelty to animals.