EVANSTON (WNE) —A 38-year-old Evanston resident was recently sentenced after a jury found him guilty of animal cruelty last month.

Justin Berry was tried for three counts of felony animal cruelty June 7-9 in Third District Court. He was charged with the shooting deaths of three high-value race horses on Wasatch Road in Evanston in 2020.

According to a sworn affidavit, Uinta County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Calvin Robinson arrived to an address on Wasatch Road on July 1, 2020, after a horse was found dead with a gunshot wound near the ribs.

The owner of the horse, Kay Dunford, reportedly found the horse deceased before calling law enforcement. A second horse found with a similar wound survived. The horse that was killed was a former racing horse worth an estimated $6,000.

A similar wound was found July 3 on a third horse, suspected to be yet another gunshot wound. Eventually, the horse succumbed to its injuries, and two bullets were found.

Prior to these horses’ deaths, the affidavit reports, Berry had been heard yelling insults at Dunford and Berry’s wife reported that Berry had had a conflict with Dunford, due to rumors that the latter planned to purchase 150 horses and place them on his property.

Bullets found in the horses’ bodies were examined by the Wyoming State Crime Lab.

The first bullet lacked any distinctive markings, but the two found in the second horse matched a rifle owned by Berry.

After a lengthy judicial process, Berry was convicted of the third count on June 21 and will face a sentence of 1-2 years in prison, with credit received for the 25 days he has already served. In addition, he was ordered to pay restitution for the crimes.