A Tennessee taxidermist was arrested after killing an opossum during a TikTok livestream while a woman pleaded with him to stop.
Brandon Terry Honea, 34, was taken into custody Wednesday and charged with aggravated animal cruelty, authorities confirmed. The arrest followed multiple complaints from viewers who watched the Monday broadcast and contacted law enforcement about what they witnessed.
During the livestream, Honea picked up the opossum by its tail and slammed it repeatedly against a porch, according to footage that circulated online. An unidentified woman off-camera could be heard begging him to show mercy and stop the attack, but the killing continued.
Honea later attempted to justify his actions by claiming the opossum had been killing his chickens, reports indicated. He also asserted that the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency had told him he had done nothing wrong, though that claim did not prevent his arrest.
“The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office takes reports of animal cruelty seriously and remains committed to protecting our community,” the office said in a statement to Fox 54.
The suspect was released after posting $7,000 bond. His mugshot showed him wearing a camouflage shirt with unkempt hair and facial hair.
The incident has drawn significant attention to the intersection of social media broadcasting and animal welfare laws, with viewers using the platform’s reporting tools to escalate their concerns to local authorities rather than relying solely on content moderation.
Honea had built a following on TikTok through his taxidermy work, a craft that involves preserving dead animals for display. The livestream that led to his arrest appeared to show behavior that crossed into active cruelty rather than post-mortem preparation, according to those who viewed it and contacted police.
The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office did not immediately respond to additional requests for comment following Honea’s release.