Haden Smith: Heartbroken Teen Kills Mom’s Chickens, Texts Her Pics, Over Breakup With Girlfriend

Why 18-year-old Haden Smith of Elkmont, Alabama, felt that his mom was somehow responsible for his romantic troubles with his girlfriend — who is presumably now his ex-girlfriend — has not been made clear. What is clear is that the distraught teen was busted by Limestone County Sheriff’s Deputies on Thursday morning after he made good on a macabre threat and his own mom called the cops.

Fortunately, he didn’t carry out every threat he made against his mother. According to the deputies who took him into custody Thursday, he warned his mom that he was going to burn down her house — then he would kill any of the sheriff’s deputies who responded to the call, and then take his own life.

But it didn’t come to that. However, six chickens lost their lives, sacrificed to the lovesick longings of the out-of-control teen.

Smith had reportedly given his mother an ultimatum — either she called his former gal pal’s parents and patched things up between the two young erstwhile lovers, or he started whacking the chickens in his mom’s backyard coop. One by one.

Chicken abuse is a scandal that has been uncovered inside food processing plants where chickens are mass produced by the millions. But the Haden Smith case may be the first in which a teen used chicken abuse as an extortion ploy against his mother.

But that is exactly what he did, reportedly killing a chicken and texting his mother a photo of the slaughtered bird. Apparently that wasn’t enough to convince his mom to budge. So he killed another one and sent a photo.

The romantic element of the story remains murky at this time. Why did Smith believe that a call from his mother to his girlfriend’s parents would help heal their relationship? Was it the mom who broke the two young lovers apart in the first place — and Haden just wanted her to fix what she had broken?

None of those details are known and once they become available, the bizarre behavior of the 18-year-old may be placed in at least some sort of context.

Smith killed one chicken every 15 minutes until he had slaughtered six chickens, according to the deputies, who arrested him on charges of third-degree domestic violence and third-degree criminal mischief. Whether he was also charged with animal cruelty has not been reported.

Fortunately, Haden Smith came to his senses and did not attempt to harm any sheriff’s deputies along with the helpless chickens.

[Image: Limestone County Sheriff’s Department]