Last Updated on February 17, 2022
A “furry” couple allegedly used Craigslist to lure their victim with promises of sex before brutally killing him, stealing his car, and had reportedly skinned dogs for their pelts in order to make “fursuits.”
Furry couple Tonya Dillard, 27, and Jacob Berkovitz, 24, allegedly lured Hector Mendez-Hernandez, 44, beating, stabbing, and shooting Hernandez to death before stealing his car at his Las Vegas home.
Police were alerted to the murder after Dillard had sent a close friend a photo of Hernandez’s battered body, which Dillard’s friend then relayed to officials, according to 8 News Now.
When police received the images, they dispatched officers to Hernandez’s address where they witnessed the couple leaving in the victim’s Ford F150.
Officers conducted a traffic stop to detain the two suspects who fantasized about luring and killing a victim on Craigslist before fleeing to “live in the woods” together.
The three may have spent the night at Hernandez’s home where Hernandez attempted to kiss and touch Dillard’s thigh which might have triggered the violent murder.
Berkowitz admitted to shooting the victim four times, “at least twice in the head area.” He also admitted to stabbing Hernandez “at least 25 times” in the torso.
After this, Berkowitz proceeded to beat the victim with a dumbbell set while Dillard held him down.
Berkowitz claimed that Hernandez tried to punch him which prompted him to pull a handgun which Dillard had reportedly bought from a pawn shop.
According to 8 News Now:
Berkovitz and Dillard are being charged with four felony counts, including:
- Murder with a deadly weapon,
- Conspiracy to commit murder,
- Robbery with a deadly weapon,
- Conspiracy to commit robbery.
However, it doesn’t end there.
According to a post from an Australian current affairs blog, Sausage Roll, the couple had allegedly skinned their pet dog for its pelt in order to make “fursuits.”
Dillard was allegedly offended by news reports referring to her as a woman as she identified with he/him pronouns and preferred to be addressed as “Vincent,” rather than Tonya.
The couple had chosen their own names, going by their “fursona”–chosen animal persona within furry community–with Dillard choosing “Vex” as her name, and Berkowitz choosing “Jax” as his.
Sausage Roll reported:
During a conversation that took place on Discord, the source alleges that Tonya Dillard (Vex/Vincent) had been hanging out with the body in the victim’s house for about 10 hours before she called and he expressed that she planned on, and I quote, “putting the body in the refrigerator and steal the victim’s car.” She explained that the “opportunity was handed to her on a silver platter,” and that she is now, “officially a psychopath.”
The source, who adamantly refuses to describe her by her biological sex, and insists on respecting the murderer’s pronouns, said, “he said he wasn’t concerned about police. He wasn’t concerned about anything. His voice was like ice. He was happy that he did it.”
Although showing little remorse in murdering their victim and skinning their pet dog, they were most upset by losing the pelt which was earmarked to tailor a “fursuit.”
The source speaking with Sausage Roll reportedly said: “[Tonya] told me this was [her] first and last and that in prison, [she] feels that [she] can hold up [her] own. [She] didn’t care when [she] skinned [her] dog. [She] was mostly upset that [she] lost its pelt.”
“[Tonya] told me not to tell anybody except for if I saw [her] on the news then to tell everybody but. That’s not something I can hold. I have to tell the police. And at that point, that’s not even snitching. [Tonya] killed somebody and [she] enjoyed it,” added the source.
Another source reportedly told Sausage Rollof the couple adopting animals from rescue shelters, then skinning them for their pelts and selling authentic “fursuits” online.
