Sign: A Car Was the Demand. A Husky Was the Hostage. Then Came the Gunshot

Published: October 01, 2026 at 12:23 AM Author: Lead Investigative Writer

Washington, D.C. – A Siberian Husky named Ice was stolen from his Maryland home and allegedly used as a bargaining chip in an effort to force his owner to surrender a vehicle. When the owner refused, federal prosecutors allege that Ice was taken to a Washington, D.C., alley and executed with a fatal shot to the head.

Keith Packer, 35, Tierra Love, 38, and Antwon Sockwell, 36, were indicted in the five-count federal case filed September 18 and unsealed September 23. The charges for this heinous crime include animal crushing, conspiracy, interstate communications with intent to extort, interstate stalking, and use or carrying of a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Details about the deadly scheme are outlined in the Department of Justice news release:

Prosecutors allege the conspiracy began around July 8, 2026, after a vehicle dispute involving Love. Packer and Love allegedly planned to harm the victim and his dog, later bringing Sockwell into the scheme, per the same account. On the morning of July 11, Packer and Love allegedly stole the Siberian Husky from the victim’s Maryland home and brought it to Sockwell’s apartment building in Washington, D.C.

Later that day, prosecutors say Packer drove Love and Sockwell back to the victim’s Maryland home, where the three confronted him about the vehicle. But the victim refused to give them access to the car because Ice still had not been returned.
The group then headed back to Washington, D.C. According to the indictment, Packer sent the victim a chilling pair of text messages: “all dawgs [sic] go to” followed by “anything you wanna say last?”

Prosecutors allege that just minutes later, Ice was taken into a nearby alley and shot in the head with a 9mm firearm. Ice never made it home. Instead, he was executed in an alley.

On September 11, a 9mm firearm was recovered from Sockwell’s residence when authorities executed a search warrant.

“These defendants terrorized the victim and took hostage and executed his innocent dog as part of a calculated scheme to extort him,” said U.S. Attorney Pirro. “They conspired to intimidate and coerce the victim over a dispute involving a vehicle, and their actions culminated in the horrific execution of a defenseless Husky. Animal cruelty and violent extortion are serious federal crimes, and my office will pursue accountability to the fullest extent of the law.”

Please add your name to the petition to hold these people accountable for stealing Ice from his home, holding him hostage in an evil extortion scheme, and then executing him in an alley.

Decision Makers: U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Assistant U.S. Attorney M.E. Bultemeier

Our Demand

We demand that Antwon Sockwell, 36, Keith Packer, 35, and Tierra Love, 38, be held fully accountable for this Siberian Husky’s cruel and senseless death. This dog was a helpless pawn in a despicable scheme, and he paid with his life. We are calling on the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia to vigorously prosecute this case and pursue accountability under federal law to the fullest extent permitted.

If convicted, Sockwell and Packer face a five-year mandatory minimum on the federal firearm count, to run consecutively to any other sentence, as well as a possible maximum seven years on the animal-crushing count and other potential penalties. DOJ says Love faces up to seven years for animal crushing, plus possible penalties on other charges. 

Federal case — District of Columbia; alleged theft in Maryland and killing in D.C.

News

U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Columbia Press Release

DC News Now

Daily Voice

Note: No publicly confirmed federal trial date has been identified.

Based on reports from authorities, details may change. All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty. Images may be illustrative.