In an event that has attracted significant attention, four fraternity members from Oklahoma State University find themselves in a longhorn carcass prank. The four individuals, namely Bennett Fady, Luke Ackerley, Brody Shelby, and Andrew King, have been apprehended and subsequently charged with a misdemeanor for the unlawful disposal of an animal carcass.
The Unsettling Discovery
On the 1st of December, just before the Big 12 Championship football game, members of the FarmHouse fraternity woke up to find a deceased longhorn on their front lawn. The timing of this incident was particularly notable, as it closely coincided with a football match in which the Oklahoma State Cowboys competed against the Texas Longhorns. A yellow tie-down strap was tied around the base of the Longhorn’s horns and fastened to a large concrete pillar on the FarmHouse fraternity’s porch. The animal’s abdomen bore a crude brand that read ‘F**k FH,’ and a large cut revealed internal organs.
Contrary to the initial fears that someone slaughtered the Longhorn for the sake of the prank, a necropsy report revealed that the cow died of disease 36 hours before the incident. The FarmHouse fraternity members told police they suspected the Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity was behind the prank, as the two fraternities had an ongoing prank war.
Surveillance Footage and AGR’s Non-Cooperation
A significant development in the case came when law enforcement officers reviewed surveillance footage from the FarmHouse fraternity. This footage showed three individuals in a white Ford F150, complete with a trailer, discarding the Longhorn onto the fraternity’s lawn. Further investigation revealed a large party on the farm where the Longhorn resided the previous night.
However, when the police approached AGR for assistance with their investigation, AGR leadership and an advisor declined to provide the police with their identities. This, together with a conspicuous gap in AGR’s surveillance footage during the time of the incident, was a “significant amount of collective lack of cooperation” on the part of the AGR organization.
Arrests and Legal Proceedings
It turned out that Fady had presented the details of his prank plan to some other members of the fraternity, who allegedly suggested he should not do it. However, Fady, with Ackerley, Shelby, and King, decided to proceed. They even borrowed a truck from another member to escort the Longhorn.
Prosecutors allege they later brought the truck back to its owners at awkward midnight hours to avoid detection.
When called in for an interview at the police headquarters, the four suspects, represented by their lawyer, declined to participate. Authorities later arrested them, booked them into the Payne County Jail, and then released them on their recognizance. They have since entered pleas of not guilty to the charges against them.
University Response
In response to this incident, Oklahoma State University has launched an internal investigation, promising to take appropriate action based on the outcome.
The university has reiterated its expectations for student behavior, stating, “Oklahoma State expects all students to adhere to university codes of conduct.”