For most college athletes, the path leads to the pros or a new career. For former Georgia State player Jalen Wade, it led to a three-hour SWAT standoff and charges for a crime that has horrified a community. He was alleged to have beheaded a dog and charged with animal cruelty, which sent shockwaves throughout the community.

Shockingly, the dog did not belong to Wade. The dog’s owner was Precious Cody. She named her Octey, though she called her Bambi because of her ears. Cody’s dog was like a child to her, and she even recalled their happy times together.

“Every time I try to close my eyes, I just see her face. I adopted her and brought her home. All she wanted to do was cuddle,” Cody said.

It all started when Cody lost her dog back in September 2025 while she was in jail because of a failure-to-appear warrant. But after her release, when she returned and asked her neighbors about the dog, they told her a man had taken it. That’s when Cody immediately filed a missing dog report and also checked local shelters, but nothing helped.

Months later, on February 11, Cody received a call about her dog’s decapitation. Authorities identified the dog and contacted Cody thanks to its microchip, but it was too late. After the incident came to light, Cody made it clear that she had never known who Jalen Wade was and couldn’t understand why anyone would do such an inhumane thing.

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“All she said was they were going to investigate to see if he was mental or something and doing ‘voodoo.'” Cody said. “I [I] don’t know why you would do voodoo on the dog.”

The crime scene was horrific, as investigators said the dog’s head was found in a bowl next to a machete on the front porch. However, the motive for this act remains unknown. The authorities are also investigating Wade’s mental health.

When authorities tried to contact Wade at his residence, he refused to exit and locked himself inside. Later on, a SWAT team had to step in and get him out, ensuring the safety of officers and his neighbors. For now, the investigation is ongoing, but Precious Cody’s message was simple: she wants justice for her dog.

“All I want is justice for my dog. An animal is like a child, and Octey, Bambi, was like my child,” Cody said.

Jalen Wade’s football career

Before his music career and recent arrest, Wade was a football player at Georgia State after graduating from Georgia Military College. He was mainly on special teams, recording 6 tackles over 20 games during his tenure with the Panthers. He was a three-star prospect coming out of high school and was the No. 218 overall recruit in 2017.

Wade also had a successful music career, which he pursued after college. The case, however, received national attention for animal cruelty. The owner’s plea for justice remains the first priority.