A Utah man pleaded guilty Monday to animal torture and posting animal torture videos online, the Department of Justice said.
Samuel J. Webster, 20, “purposefully subjected the guinea pig to serious bodily injury by hitting, sexually coercing, and penetrating the guinea pig and then posting it on YouTube, titling the video “Porn,” a statement from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah read.
Webster reportedly had bought the guinea pig from a pet supply store. He admitted to buying the guinea pig “for the purpose of creating and distributing YouTube videos around the world that he made of himself torturing and killing the guinea pig,” the statement noted.
Webster was charged in June 2022 with “18 felony counts of distributing animal crush videos on YouTube, one felony count of creating an animal crush video, and four felony counts of animal crushing,” according to a separate statement. Webster allegedly posted 23 videos of himself torturing four guinea pigs on YouTube under graphic titles such as “Guinea Pig Torture” and “Torture is Fun.”
Webster also allegedly commented on the videos, “reinforcing his desires about killing and torturing guinea pigs,” the statement noted. (RELATED: ‘Savage And Inhumane’: Veterinarian Sentenced For Dogfighting, Barred From Practicing Profession)
A Utah man has pleaded guilty to numerous felony counts after posting videos online of himself torturing guinea pigs. Samuel J. Webster, 20, was charged by a federal grand jury in Salt Lake City on 23 felony counts related to alleged animal cruelty. https://t.co/ft4daEoDrw
— NBC Montana (@NBCMontana) August 8, 2023
A Reddit community of internet sleuths was helpful in tracking down Webster, KATV reported. One of them, Leo Boddicker, a guinea pig owner himself, reportedly saw a subreddit post concerning Webster’s animal torture YouTube videos.
Boddicker reportedly investigated the videos and the multiple channels hosting them alongside other online sleuths for possible clues leading to Webster’s identification. One of the investigators found another YouTube channel named “Samuel Webster” and Facebook and Instagram accounts linked to it, Boddicker said, according to KATV. The sleuths reportedly identified Webster by a birthmark on his lip.
Utah’s Woods Cross Police Department then took up the investigation from there, the outlet noted.
Webster awaits his sentencing, which is scheduled for December 11, 2023, at the Orrin G. Hatch United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City, per the District Attorney’s office.