Law school students sentenced in Las Vegas bird beheading

Two UC Berkeley law school graduates accused of beheading a large exotic bird in Las Vegas entered their pleas in court this week.

Three men -- the two graduates and a third-year law student -- were accused of chasing a 14-year-old helmeted guinea fowl around the Flamingo Hotel’s Wildlife Habitat on Oct. 12, cornering the bird and severing its head.

When officers arrived, witnesses told them they saw the men “throwing the dead bird, discussing the killing of the bird and laughing about it,” the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said last fall.

Hazhir Kargaran, 26, a recent law school graduate, pleaded no contest this week to misdemeanor charges of instigating an act of animal cruelty, malicious destruction of property and trespassing, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Kargaran was sentenced to two days in jail and 48 hours of community service.

Justin Teixeira, 24, also a recent graduate, accused of actually beheading the bird with his hands, pleaded not guilty and will go to trial, according to the Associated Press. His trial is scheduled to begin this year.

Eric Cuellar, 24, pleaded guilty earlier this year and was fined $200 and sentenced to 48 hours of community service for instigating animal cruelty, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

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rosanna.xia@latimes.com

Twitter: @RosannaXia