Lady Gaga’s dognapper sentenced to 21 YEARS in prison – 22 months after he stole her pets and shot her dog walker in Hollywood
- James Howard Jackson pleaded no contest to one count of attempted murder
- Jackson and others drove around Hollywood on Feb. 24, 2021 ‘looking for French bulldogs’ before encountering Gaga’s dog walker Ryan Fischer, 41
- Jackson shot Fischer during the robbery near Sunset Boulevard, during which two of the dogs were taken
- The pop star’s dogs were returned two days later by a woman who claimed she had found them tied to a pole
- Authorities said the Lady Gaga connection was a coincidence and the singer’s pets were not targeted due to her celebrity status
The man who shot Lady Gaga´s dog walker and stole her French bulldogs last year took a plea deal and was sentenced to 21 years in prison on Monday, officials said.
James Howard Jackson, one of three men and two accomplices who participated in the violent robbery, pleaded no contest to one count of attempted murder, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
Jackson and others drove around Hollywood on Feb. 24, 2021 ‘looking for French bulldogs,’ prosecutors said previously. They found Lady Gaga’s dog walker, Ryan Fischer, 41, with the pop star’s three pets named Asia, Koji and Gustav.
Jackson shot Fischer during the robbery near Sunset Boulevard, during which two of the dogs were taken. A nearby doorbell camera recorded the dog walker screaming ‘Oh, my God! I´ve been shot!’ and ‘Help me!’ and ‘I´m bleeding out from my chest!’
Jailed: James Howard Jackson, the man who shot Lady Gaga´s dog walker and stole her French bulldogs last year took a plea deal and was sentenced to 21 years in prison on Monday
Fischer lost part of a lung. About a month after the crime, he posted on Instagram that his recovering has gone well.
The pop star’s dogs were returned two days later by a woman who claimed she had found them tied to a pole and asked about Lady Gaga’s offer of a $500,000 reward if the dogs were returned ‘no questions asked.’ The singer was in Rome at the time filming a movie.
The woman was charged with receiving stolen property and the father of another suspect is charged with helping him avoid arrest.
Authorities said the Lady Gaga connection was a coincidence and the singer’s pets were not targeted due to her celebrity status.
The motive was the value of the French bulldogs, a breed that can run into the thousands of dollars, and detectives do not believe the thieves knew the dogs belonged to the musician.
Tough time: Lady Gaga is pictured here with her French Bulldog Koji, which was stolen off the street during an armed attack on her dog walker on February 24, 2021
Ryan Fischer (left), Lady Gaga’s dogwalker, was shot in the chest while walking the singer’s French Bulldogs, which were then stolen in Hollywood
Koji (left) and Gustav (right) were snatched by the attackers after Jackson shot Fischer in the chest during a scuffle
Fischer, 41, suffered a collapsed lung and ended up losing pieces of the organ as a result of the shooting
Jackson also admitted the allegation of inflicting great bodily injury and to a prior strike, the DA’s office said Monday. He was sentenced to 21 years in prison.
‘The plea agreement holds Mr. Jackson accountable for perpetrating a coldhearted violent act and provides justice for our victim,’ the office said in a statement.
DailyMail.com has contacted Lady Gaga’s representatives for comment.
Fischer (pictured) is captured on CCTV being ambushed in Hollywood on February 24, 2021
Back in August Jackson was recaptured after being mistakenly released from a Los Angeles County jail where he was being held on suspicion of shooting Lady Gaga‘s dog walker and stealing her French bulldogs.
He was arrested nearly five months after he was released from jail while awaiting trial ‘due to a clerical error,’ the county Sheriff´s Department said in a statement.
Jackson’s arrest comes as one of three men charged in the case pleaded no contest to second-degree robbery.
Jaylin Keyshawn White, 20, was immediately sentenced to four years in state prison, Deputy District Attorney Michele Hanisee told NBC4.
Authorities said the Lady Gaga connection was a coincidence and the singer’s pets were not targeted due to her celebrity status (pictured August 2022)