91-year-old man pleads guilty to murder of bald eagle

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – A 91-year-old man pleaded guilty Friday to killing a bald eagle in Sparta, North Carolina, in June, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Robert Gambill pleaded guilty to unlawful taking of a bald eagle in violation of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

On June 5, Gambill, equipped with a Ruger M77 Mark 2 22-250 rifle with a Nikon Monarch MR31 4×16-42 scope, shot a bald eagle perched in a tree near the Farmers Fish Camp highway bridge in Sparta .

Gambill then left after killing the bird, leaving the carcass on the bank of the New River.

Two people witnessed the killing and notified the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. An autopsy was performed which confirmed that the bald eagle had been shot with a high-powered rifle.

Gambill faces up to a year in prison. He will also have to pay a fine of $100,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, officials said. He also agreed to pay a fine of $9,500.