Man Who Stole Lady Gaga’s French Bulldogs And Shot Her Dog Walker Has Been Sentenced To 21 Years

James Howard Jackson, the man who shot and almost killed Lady Gaga’s dog walker before stealing two of her three French bulldogs last year, was sentenced to 21 years in prison after pleading no contest on an attempted murder charge on Monday. Authorities say the 20-year-old was one of three accomplices who helped stage the robbery as they drove through Hollywood on February 24, 2021, looking for French bulldogs to capture.

Authorities say it was a coincidence that they ended up catching Gaga’s dog walker, Ryan Fischer, taking the singer’s dogs for a walk when the violent incident occurred. According to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office, there was no connection between James plotting to go after Gaga’s dogs in particular — the goal was simply to steal as many bulldogs as possible, given their hefty price tag, which can run into the thousands of dollars.

James took a plea deal that will see him serve 21 years in prison, the DA’s office announced.

“The plea agreement holds Mr. Jackson accountable for perpetrating a coldhearted violent act and provides justice for our victim,” they said in a statement. His full list of charges was attempted murder, conspiracy to commit a robbery, and assault with a semiautomatic firearm. Given the plea deal, prosecutors agreed to only uphold the attempted murder charge.