CJ Alexander Gives Up on Feigning Innocence, Pleads Guilty in Infamous Poaching Case

Over the past 12-or-so months, there’s been no poaching case quite as captivating as the one involving a young man named CJ Alexander and his incredible buck, which was green scored somewhere in the neighborhood of 206 ⅞”.

A beautiful specimen, the deer and the man who shot it gained instant notoriety as photos and stories flooded social media and local news outlets. In what was shaping up to be a celebration of sorts, quickly turned sour for the young man as the Ohio General’s Office, on behalf of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, indicted Alexander on 23 total charges stemming from the hunting incident in the spring of this year.

Despite the national headlines now turning accusatory towards Alexander, he remained somewhat defiant in the face of what looked to be a pile of damning evidence. Forever maintaining his innocence, he continued his fight against the charges creating an intricate web of lies and deceit in an effort to cover up his actions.

At the time of his indictment, any claims of innocence the general public may have bought into, were quickly dismissed. After warrants had been served, the cell phone data and messages retrieved from his phone were particularly damning. In an attempt to convince game wardens and prosecutors alike that he had shot the deer on his sister’s property, he staged the entire incident, complete with phony permission letters and all. 

Cell phone data and messages made unraveling the young man’s plan easier than expected for Clinton County prosecutors.  Text messages to his girlfriend revealed a young man enamored by the fame and possible financial windfall that killing such a buck might bring, that he’d now do anything to pull it off.

“I’m gonna get offered stupid money for this deer head babe … Like buying house type money … This deer is gonna make us money,” the accused texted his fiancé Carissa Weisenberger on Oct. 17, a few weeks after he killed the deer.

Investigators gathered a plethora of additional text messages, Snapchats, video and photographic evidence from Alexander’s cell phone that went a long way in unraveling the intricate cover-up of the killing of his big buck.

While Alexander was steadfast in defending his innocence through his initial arrest, the pending investigation and even his indictment, it seems as though the buck, so to speak, stops here. Christopher “CJ” Alexander, 28, of Wilmington, Ohio pleaded guilty this week to 14 of the 23 counts against him from the original indictment from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office in May.

His misdemeanor jacklighting charge alone could result in a 10-year hunting ban and restitution for the killed deer could be as high as $40,000. His two felony charges are another story altogether as he could very well end up with prison time, additional fines and be on the hook for court costs. 

He’s set to be in court for sentencing on December 11th.