Cody Roberts Pleads Not Guilty To Running Down A Female Wolf & Killing Her In Wyoming

Nearly two years after the horrifying incident that sparked outrage around the world, Cody Roberts, the Wyoming man accused of running down a female wolf with a snowmobile, then taking the injured animal into a bar before killing her, appeared in court this week for the first time.

Roberts, of Sublette County, pleaded not guilty to a felony animal cruelty charge during a short hearing on Monday. He spoke little during the proceedings, which marked his first public appearance since the gruesome incident first made headlines. If convicted, he faces up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine. A jury trial is currently scheduled for March 9, 2026, unless a plea deal is reached beforehand.

This case stems from an appalling act that occurred in early 2024, when Roberts allegedly ran over a female wolf with a snowmobile, taped her mouth shut, and brought the suffering animal into the Green River Bar to show her off. Witnesses say Roberts later took the wolf behind the bar and shot her, ending her torment. The heartbreaking photos quickly went viral, sparking outrage from animal advocates, celebrities, and people around the world who were horrified by both the cruelty and the leniency of the state’s initial response.

At the time, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department issued Roberts only a $250 fine for the illegal possession of live wildlife. No animal cruelty charges were filed until months later, when a grand jury indicted him on one count of felony animal cruelty in August 2025. Many saw the delay as a failure of both the system and of justice, an example of the state’s indifference toward cruelty inflicted upon wolves and other predators.

The killing occurred in Wyoming’s predator zone, which covers more than 80% of the state. In this zone, wolves can be legally killed year-round without a license. These lax laws, combined with anti-wolf sentiment and decades of political pressure from hunting and ranching interests, have made the Northern Rocky Mountain gray wolf population especially vulnerable.

While wolves in most of the U.S. remain protected under the Endangered Species Act, Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana continue to operate outside those protections. In February 2024, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service once again declined to restore federal protections for wolves in the Northern Rockies, despite widespread public support for doing so.

Roberts’ actions, and the global outrage that followed, ignited a renewed conversation about the need for wolf protections. The shocking images and reports of what happened in that Wyoming bar left people angry, heartbroken, and demanding justice, not only for that precious wolf, but for all wolves who remain under threat due to weak state laws.

Even as this trial moves forward, efforts to strip wolves of federal protection continue. More than a dozen members of Congress recently signed a letter urging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list once again, a move that could open the door to even more cruelty like what occurred in Wyoming.

WAN will continue covering Cody Roberts’ trial, keeping you updated on every step toward justice for this female wolf.

Join Team Wolf to take action, demand stronger federal protections, and stand against the cruelty and persecution of America’s wolves, get involved HERE!