Animal rights activists who took piglets from a factory farm were found not guilty of theft by an unanimous jury Saturday; the defendants argued they acted to rescue, not steal the animals.
Judge Jeffrey Wilcox announced the unanimous decision to acquit animal rights activists Paul Darwin Picklesimer and Wayne Hsiung on charges of felony burglary and theft.Picklesimer told FOX 13 in 2018 that they took the pigs and posted video of the factory to"show what's happening there in the hopes it resonates with people."
Taken were piglets from the largest pig farm in the nation, owned by Smithfield Foods, a subsidiary of China’s WH Group.Hsiung, a former Northwestern Law University visiting professor, represented himself at the trial, asking in his closing remarks to the jury to"acquit us as a matter of conscience. There's a big difference between stealing and rescue."
The pig rescue occurred during a Direct Action Everywhere investigation into the use of gestation grates by Smithfield. Video of the rescue was previously barred because it might arouse"horror" in the jury, an action the activists claimed violated their constitutional rights.
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