50°
Joseph Winters Hilliard, 27, of Butler, confessed to climbing through an open window at Chyanne Callender’s East Brady Street apartment on Jan. 5, 2024, and fatally beating the 10-year-old dog before dumping her body in the woods near Rock Ann Haven.
“I battered it pretty well, so I took it to the woods and killed it,” Hilliard admitted in a written confession submitted on Jan. 28, 2025. Investigators say Hilliard acted out of spite after Callender ended their friendship and blocked his number, citing his troubling behavior.
Daily Voice reached out to Callender who sent us the following statement:
"He is not my ex boyfriend I’ve said this many times. We originally met on a dating site but neither of us had intentions of dating. We were ONLY friends and I can not stress that enough. I stopped being friends with him because he constantly tried to force himself on me and wouldn’t accept the answer no."
Callender reported Lexi missing the same night of the break-in. While nothing else was taken or disturbed, Callender told police that Hilliard had grown angry after she rejected his advances. Text messages included in the investigation show him apologizing for his behavior and lashing out over her decision to cut ties.
The disturbing crime has sparked outrage and calls for justice. A Change.org petition titled “Justice for Lexi” has gathered over 1,800 signatures, with supporters demanding harsher penalties for animal cruelty and urging lawmakers to act.
“Any person capable of killing an animal is a danger to society,” one supporter wrote, reflecting the public’s frustration with the case.
Hilliard, who is charged with burglary, aggravated cruelty to animals, tampering with evidence, and theft by unlawful taking, is being held at Butler County Prison on $100,000 bail. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for Feb. 10, 2025, at 1:15 p.m. before Magisterial District Judge William T. Fullerton.
Lexi’s death has become a rallying cry for stronger protections for animals, with advocates pushing for harsher consequences for acts of cruelty.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Ridley Park-Folsom and receive free news updates.
