Cock Fight: Florida man jailed for killing chicken he said attacked him
MIAMI - A Jacksonville man has been accused of murdering his neighbor's rooster. Now, a feud between the two has ended in a 30-hour jail stay and a lot of fighting.
Big Roo was Jason Defelice's pet rooster. That is until James Nix hit it with a stick.
"So I'm defending myself. You know, I was fearing for my safety, and the chicken, you know, died!"
Nix says the rooster attacked people. That was news to its owner.
"I have not heard because I know the neighbor here. I know him like we were friends. He never said anything to me about it," said Defelice.
Nix disagreed.
"I did tell him after the chicken bit my dad, I said, 'Hey, man, that chicken attacked my dad'," said Nix to which he said Defelice replied, "It's just a chicken. What's he going to do?"
The neighbors even disagree on how others saw Big Roo.
"These kids used to live over there. They were throwing rocks and sticks at this chicken to keep it away," said Nix.
"I know the kids down here, they played with the rooster a little bit like they'd throw rocks at it and chase it," said Defelice.
Nix said one day the rooster followed him and attacked him. He said he was just trying to get away.
"I tried to hit it, but the chicken is jumping up at me and I accidentally knocked it in the head. You know, call it a lucky shot, whatever," said Nix.
When Defelice came home, all he saw was his rooster dead in a ditch. He said he called the sheriff's office, but they didn't do anything. So he called animal control.
"Next thing you know, he calls the chicken police on me," said Nix who went to jail for animal cruelty.
While the neighbors continue the fight, Nix said he never should have been arrested.
"Chickens are dying every day, people at Churches, Popeye's, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Really."