James Howard Jackson has been sentenced to 21 years in prison after entering a plea of no contest for charges resulting from an attack on Lady Gaga’s dog walker in February 2021. The 20-year-old is one of three people who targeted the dog walker, Ryan Fischer, because he was walking high-valued French bulldogs.
Fischer was choked and shot in the robbery, and two of the three French bulldogs that he was walking were stolen. The dogs, Koji and Gustav, were later recovered and returned to their owner following Gaga’s offering of a $500,000 reward.
Fischer survived the brutal attack but is said to still be recovering physically and mentally.
Earlier this year, 20-year-old Jaylin White was sentenced to four years in prison for his part in the attack and robbery. Harold White, also involved in the incident, will be sentenced next year after entering a plea of no contest.
The DA’s office released a statement about Jackson’s sentence:
“The plea agreement holds Mr. Jackson accountable for perpetrating a coldhearted violent act and provides justice for our victim.”
Despite the brutality of the attack, Fischer has stated that he forgives the people involved. In court, his statement directly addressed Jackson and explained his ability to forgive the man for his part in the violent encounter:
“You completely altered my life, and I know I can’t fully move forward from the night you shot me until I said those words to you.”
