Latest news with #Pentobarbital
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Cause of Death Revealed for Nevada Veterinarian Found Dead After Video of Him Allegedly Kicking Horse Went Viral: Reports
The body of Dr. Shawn Frehner, 56, who was allegedly seen kicking a horse in a video that went viral on social media, was found near the Boulder Islands at Lake Mead near Las Vegas last month His cause of death has now been revealed as drowning, with the euthanasia drug Pentobarbital being cited as a contributing factor, per KTNV Frehner's manner of death was listed as suicide, the outlet statedThe cause of death for a Nevada veterinarian, who was allegedly seen kicking a horse in a video that went viral on social media, has been revealed. Authorities discovered the body of Dr. Shawn Frehner, 56, on April 18, near the Boulder Islands at Lake Mead, near Las Vegas, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, KSNV, and KTNV, who cited a statement from the National Park Service. It's now been confirmed that Frehner's cause of death was drowning, with the drug Pentobarbital noted as a contributing factor, per KTNV, citing the Office of the Clark County Coroner and Medical Examiner. According to the National Library of Medicine, "Pentobarbital sodium is a common animal euthanasia drug in the United States and Canada, as well as in other countries with access to it." Frehner's manner of death was listed as suicide, outlets including KTNV, KLAS, and Fox 5 Las Vegas reported. His identity was confirmed on April 19 through dental records, per KLAS. The Office of the Clark County Coroner and Medical Examiner didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for additional information. Frehner was reported missing nearly two weeks before he was found dead, PEOPLE previously reported. The National Park Service had been leading an expansive search for him, per a Lake Mead National Recreation Area missing persons poster shared on Instagram. His wallet, keys, and cell phone had been found in his unoccupied truck left near Lake Mead, KTNV previously stated. Frehner's disappearance came just days after he was seen allegedly kicking a horse in a viral video that spread across social media. On April 3, he was called to administer anesthetic shots for horses at a property located about 60 miles west of Las Vegas, Shawna Gonzalez, the property owner, told KLAS' 8 News Now. 'I heard [my mother] yell, 'Oh my God. He just kicked him,' ' Gonzalez said, per the outlet. 'Oh my God, Mom, he's choking,' she added. 'He wrapped the horse around his neck three times, and he kicked him in the head.' Gonzalez said the horse was treated for abrasions to the skull and other injuries, per the outlet. She then pushed for animal cruelty charges, which led the Nye County Sheriff's Office to open a criminal investigation against Frehner. Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. Frehner responded to the allegations on social media, insisting, 'I did not blatantly haul off and kick this horse as it appears in the video. That was not my intention at all,' per the Las Vegas-Review Journal. 'It was done simply to get the horse in a better position so that he could breathe and get up and move so I could again try to anesthetize,' he added, according to the outlet. Gonzalez said in a text to the outlet that she was sorry to hear about Frehner's death. 'I had no idea this would happen,' Gonzalez wrote. 'But I was not the one bullying. I am not sorry for standing up for my horse. I am their voice and will continue to be.' The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Nye County Sheriff's Office didn't immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment. If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741741 or go to Read the original article on People
New York Post
15-05-2025
- New York Post
Cause of death revealed for Vegas veterinarian Shawn Frehner who went missing after being caught on camera kicking horse in face
The Las Vegas veterinarian who was found dead in a lake last month after he disappeared when video of him brutally kicking a horse in the face died from suicide. Dr. Shawn Frehner injected himself with the euthanasia drug Pentobarbital and died from drowning in Lake Mead, a reservoir spanning from Nevada to Arizona, according to KTNV, which cited the Clark County Coroner and Medical Examiner on Wednesday. His body was identified using dental records, the coroner's office revealed. Advertisement 3 Dr. Shawn Frehner's death was ruled a suicide, according to the Clark County Coroner and Medical Examiner. Facebook Frehner, 56, had disappeared on April 6 after he was caught on video physically abusing a horse he was supposed to be treating. He later apologized on Facebook after the video went viral, and defended his actions before vanishing. Advertisement 'I did not blatantly haul off and kick this horse as it appears in the video,' Frehner wrote, according to News8Now. 'That was not my intention at all. It was done simply to get the horse in a better position so that he could breathe and get up and move so I could again try to anesthetize. But yes, I did kick him right in the chin, and I very much do apologize and wish this never happened.' The wounded horse received treatment for abrasions to the skull. 3 Frehner, 56, had disappeared on April 6 after he was caught on video physically abusing a horse he was supposed to be treating. FOX5 Advertisement At the time of disappearance, the longtime veterinarian was set to face felony charges for animal abuse. Frehner's father told investigators he was worried for his son's safety when he disappeared because of the backlash he had received from the viral video, KTNV reported. The owner of the horse, Shawna Gonzalez, called his disappearance 'horrible' and was hoping he'd be found safe. 'It's horrible, I never, ever wished this upon him, I never wished this upon anybody,' Gonzalez told 8NewsNow during the search. 'This is not what I wanted in the end at all.' Advertisement 3 Authorities searching for Frehner at Lake Mead. Fox 5 After nearly two weeks of being missing, authorities began combing Hemenway Harbor at Lake Mead after finding his truck abandoned with his wallet, keys and phone inside near the water's edge. His father told investigators he didn't know why his son would go to Lake Mead since he didn't have a boat. The National Park Service — the lead agency in the search — pulled Frehner's body from the water near Boulder Islands on April 18. It remains to be seen when Frehner took his own life. If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or are experiencing a mental health crisis and live in New York City, you can call 1-888-NYC-WELL for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the five boroughs, you can dial the 24/7 National Suicide Prevention hotline at 988 or go to
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Yahoo
Luigi Mangione Faces Potential Torturous Fate As Pam Bondi Seeks Death Penalty
President Trump's no-nonsense Attorney General Pam Bondi has made it clear she wants Luigi Mangione executed for allegedly committing murder — and, if she gets her way, the 26-year-old Ivy League grad faces a torturous fate, TMZ has learned. TMZ interviewed University of Richmond Law Professor Corinna Lain, who provided us with a road map of what Luigi can potentially expect if he is federally convicted of stalking and murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. The federal prosecutor presents aggravating factors to the court, and the jury must unanimously agree on those factors before the judge decides whether to impose the death penalty. In federal cases, the death penalty typically results in lethal injection. Lain, an expert in capital punishment who wrote a book called, "Secrets of the Killing State, The Untold Story of Lethal Injection," tells TMZ ... Luigi would first be strapped to a gurney in a death chamber and an executioner will find a vein and insert a catheter. She says some inmates are pricked multiple times as the executor searches for a vein ... mainly because they are ailing drug users with bad veins ... but Luigi is young and spry and this doesn't seem to pose an issue. Once the catheter is inserted in the vein, Lain says non-medical prison guards carry out the execution with syringes from another room called the "execution anteroom." This room is next to the execution room and the two spaces are connected by a tube running through a hole in the separating wall ... the tube is used to carry drugs from one room to the next. On one end of the tube are syringes with the lethal drugs ... and the tube runs into the catheter needle in the prisoner's arm. Guards push down on the syringes, which deliver Pentobarbital -- a euthanasia drug -- to the prisoner's body. The drug immediately floods the heart and then the lungs. After a couple minutes, the prisoner falls unconscious, and it could take up to 18 minutes before they die. Even if the prisoner is unconscious and drugged to oblivion, Lain tells us the prisoner could still be feeling pain ... but can't respond to it. She says scientific evidence overwhelmingly indicates it's very likely the drugs cause extreme pain and needless suffering ... in other words, torturing people to death. Lain says lethal injection sometimes causes Acute Pulmonary Edema, which occurs when fluid seeps into the lungs within seconds and minutes ... making it hard to breathe ... this is life-threatening. Another issue ... the non-medical prison guards carrying out the execution. Lain says the guards are not medically trained and when they administer the drugs by pushing down on the syringe they can sometimes push too hard, delivering too much of the substance too fast, thus blowing the vein and causing it to collapse. If this happens, she says the drug spills into the surrounding tissue ... creating a big problem. In one case, Lain says the prisoner woke up in the midst of his own execution in pain ... and in another, she says the prisoner had huge chemical burns on both arms with his skin sloughing off. This can't help Luigi sleep at night. 🤷🏽♂️
