No more jail time for defendant in Reba the bulldog’s death

A judge ordered no additional time behind bars Monday for a woman accused in the death of Reba the bulldog.

Markeisha Foster pleaded guilty to a count of attempting to kill, disfigure or maim an animal of another in June.

Prosecutors said she could have stopped the crime by calling 911 or finding a 24-hour veterinarian.

“The defendant had a moral, social and legal obligation to help Reba, your honor, and at no point did she,” Deputy District Attorney Kassandra Acosta argued. “Instead, she let Reba suffer for hours.”

Isaac Laushaul Jr., the other defendant in the case, received a sentence of 16-48 months in prison last week. Foster, who had promised to cooperate with authorities, walked out of court after her sentencing.

The two were accused of leaving the dog in a taped-shut plastic container outside a Las Vegas supermarket in July 2024. Reba was found in breathing distress and died of heat stroke.

The case garnered interest from animal rights advocates and lawmakers. Reba became the namesake of a law signed by Gov. Joe Lombardo that aims to increase animal cruelty penalties.

Prosecutors stipulated to a seven-month jail sentence with seven months’ credit for Foster, which District Judge Ronald Israel ordered.

“I’m going through a lot right now so I kind of want to get this past me,” said Foster.

Public defender Seth Strickland argued that Foster did not have a “duty to intervene.”

Foster has “already been found guilty in the eyes of the media and the eyes of public opinion,” but news coverage of the case has been incomplete, he said.

“Ms. Foster was identified through a couple other incidents where police were called out to their address for domestic violence issues by Mr. Laushaul, so she herself is a victim as well as Nike,” he said, referring to the dog by her name before a passerby discovered her.

Laushaul’s attorney, Philip Singer, said after the hearing that there were no police reports to back up claims Foster was abused.

“I think it’s just a facade,” he said.

Foster has also faced online comments wishing her harm, according to Strickland, even though the dog belonged to Laushaul.

“She was just somebody who was in the car at the time and Reba or Nike got their justice last week during Mr. Laushaul’s sentencing,” said the public defender.

Israel said the public should understand that with her guilty plea, Foster saved hundreds of thousands of dollars that would have been spent on expert testimony had the case gone to trial.

“Certainly, by pleading guilty, the parties, along with the concerned citizens, don’t have to sit through the what would be very depressing testimony,” said the judge.

In June, Israel removed the public from his courtroom and attempted to hold a secret hearing in the case a day before Foster entered her guilty plea. A Las Vegas Review-Journal attorney said the closure was unconstitutional.

Israel later unsealed Foster’s plea after the Review-Journal sought access to the document.

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.