Last year, the guy who shot and injured Lady Gaga’s dog walker and kidnapped her French bulldogs pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 21 years in jail.
LOS ANGELES — Last year, the guy who shot and injured Lady Gaga’s dog walker and kidnapped her French bulldogs pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 21 years in jail on Monday, according to authorities.
The Lady Gaga link was coincidental, according to police. The worth of the French bulldogs, which can reach into the hundreds of dollars, was the motivation, and authorities do not think the burglars were aware that the canines belonged to the singer.
According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, James Howard Jackson, one of three individuals and two accomplices who participated in the violent heist and its aftermath, pled no guilty to one count of attempted murder. On Monday, it was first unclear whose counsel represented Howard.
Prosecutors previously said that on February 24, 2021, Jackson and others drove throughout Hollywood, the city of West Hollywood, and the San Fernando Valley “in search of French bulldogs.” Ryan Fischer, the dog walker for Lady Gaga, was discovered with the pop star’s three canines.
Jackson shot Fischer during the robbery on Sunset Boulevard, during which two dogs were stolen. A adjacent doorbell camera captured a dog walker yelling “Oh my God! I’ve been shot!” and “Help!” and “My chest is gushing blood!”
In social media postings, Fischer referred to the assault as a “near-death experience.”
Several days later, Koji and Gustav were returned by Jennifer McBride, who was also charged with the crime.
At the time, the pop artist offered a $500,000 reward — “no questions asked” — for the safe return of the dogs.
Monday, the district attorney’s office said that Jackson also confessed to causing grievous bodily harm and to a previous strike.
“The plea deal holds Mr. Jackson responsible for committing a callous act of violence and affords our victim justice,” the agency stated in a statement. Howard was charged with attempted murder, robbery conspiracy, and assault with a semiautomatic weapon.
Harold White, a second accomplice, pleaded no contest to a charge of ex-felon in possession of a firearm on Monday. White, who was dating McBride at the time, would be punished the following year.
The pair reportedly attempted to assist White’s son, Jaylin White, in avoiding arrest after the incident. Jaylin White pled no contest to second-degree robbery earlier this year and was sentenced to four years in state prison.
Representatives for Lady Gaga and Fischer did not respond immediately to calls for comment.
