Man who stole monkeys from Dallas Zoo is found mentally ill, incompetent to stand trial
The suspect arrested for allegedly breaking into the Dallas Zoo and stealing two monkeys in Jan. 2023 was found mentally ill and incompetent to stand trial, a ruling which resulted on Monday in the dismissal of six counts of animal cruelty, according to Dallas County court records.
Davion Irvin, 24, was booked into the Dallas County Jail in Feb. 2023. He was accused of stealing two emperor tamarin monkeys from the Dallas Zoo and cutting into other habitats. In one instance, a clouded leopard named Nova escaped from her enclosure. In another, the habitat of some langur monkeys was cut open. Police were also investigating the death of an endangered vulture, Pin, but police have not linked Irvin to that case, authorities said.
Court records also say Irvin has already spent more time in jail than the maximum punishment for the misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty.
Irvin still faces two felony burglary charges, but those cases have been placed on hold while he receives medical treatment, according to court records.
Irvin was identified as the suspect in the zoo break-ins based on surveillance images from the Dallas Zoo, where according to the arrest warrant and the Dallas Morning News, employees noted strange behavior from Irvin. He would ask employees questions such as where they got the animals, where the animals went at night, what their schedules were and if they were ever violent.
Police said in a warrant that Irvin admitted he intended to take Nova but could only manage to pet her because he couldn’t catch her. Nova was later found in the zoo and returned to her habitat.
On Jan. 14, the day after Nova went missing, zoo officials announced they’d also found the langur monkey exhibit had been broken into. None of the monkeys were missing or harmed.
Irvin also told police he took the monkeys on the night of Jan. 29, breaking into the zoo by jumping over the fence after dark, the Dallas Morning News reported. He cut through metal mesh to get to a door and then cut the enclosure where the monkeys were and took them.
From there, according to the Dallas Morning News, Irvin took a DART train and then walked to an abandoned home in Lancaster, where he put the monkeys in a room with no access to natural light or outside air.
There, police also found cats and 13 pigeons inside the home, according to the Dallas Morning News.
