Truck Driver Who Killed Regan Russell Pleads Guilty to Careless Driving Charge
Update (March 28, 2023): The truck driver who killed Regan Russell pleaded guilty to careless driving causing death, a noncriminal charge that does not reflect the tragic death of a kind and gentle soul who did no wrong. Regan was killed while she was bearing witness to the suffering of slaughter-bound pigs. She spent her last moments on Earth showing kindness to animals, and everyone can honor her memory by going vegan.
For the slaughterhouse-bound pigs who needed her so desperately, Regan Russell lived and died an activist.
On the morning of Friday, June 19, Regan, a Pig Save supporter and PETA member, was reportedly struck and killed by a truck that was transporting animals to slaughter. The tragedy occurred during a Toronto Pig Save vigil, while Regan and other activists were bearing witness to the suffering of slaughter-bound pigs and demonstrating the love and kindness deserved by all animals.
Charges Brought
More than a month later, on July 20, the Halton Regional Police Service announced that it was bringing charges of Careless Driving Causing Death against the driver of the pig transport truck that struck and killed Regan. PETA is joining Toronto Pig Save and Regan’s loved ones in calling for upgraded charges.
“Today’s charges must be upgraded to reflect the death of a kind and gentle soul who did no wrong,” PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said in a statement. “Regan Russell spent her last moments on Earth showing kindness to animals, and everyone can honor her memory by going vegan.”
Honoring Regan
On Sunday, June 21, a vigil was held to remember her and everything that she stood for—opposing all kinds of oppression and injustice. Dozens attended the event—the sidewalk was flooded with Regan’s family, friends, and fellow activists, many holding signs. One read, “Do as Regan Did: Defend Animals.”
Another read, “Go Vegan 4 Regan.”
The vigil, which was held on Father’s Day, also contained one sign that read, “A Father Lost His Daughter Here. Justice for Regan.”
On Thursday, June 25, Los Angeles held a vigil of its own. Sporting signs, candles, and masks, local activists gathered outside a local Farmer John slaughterhouse to pay their respects and honor Regan’s memory while bearing witness to slaughter-bound pigs’ suffering—the same kind, peaceful act that she was carrying out when she was killed.
Countless other people took to Twitter to honor Regan’s memory using the hashtag #SavePigs4Regan to urge others to be as dedicated, passionate, and selfless as the animal rights activist was.
Regan Was a True Hero to Animals
On the day of Regan’s death, Toronto Pig Save founder Anita Krajnc described her as a “very kind and compassionate person.”
“She was the most peaceful, logical, kind, compassionate person that I’ve ever met. She just stuck up for the vulnerable … we need more people like that, it’s terrible,” said Stephanie Schwartz, a fellow Toronto Pig Save activist.
Regan championed other causes and movements, too—ones that parallel the animal rights movement’s call for an end to unjust oppression. Less than a week ago, she took part in a racial justice rally in Hamilton, Ontario, proudly sporting PETA’s “Go Vegan” face mask and sharing her solidarity with Black people online:
Update: December 11, 2020
Regan left a memorable mark on the animal rights and liberation movement. Her tragic and untimely death has become the catalyst for a larger conversation about the friction between industries that abuse animals and the passionate individuals like her who stand up against them. Two documentaries were released in Regan’s memory: There Was a Killing, a film from Earthlings filmmaker Shaun Monson that shines a light on tensions between the animal agriculture industry and activists, and We Are Their Voice | The Regan Russell Story, which provides a detailed account of Regan’s story and the immense impact that it has had around the globe.
Save Pigs for Regan
If you’re in shock over this tragedy, if your heart is heavy, there are things you can do right now to honor Regan and everything she stood for.
We hope the loss of this wonderfully kind soul, who cared for all living, feeling beings, will bring more attention to the plight of the oppressed. Regan had the courage and the fortitude to continue witnessing for pigs bound for slaughter, to show kindness to the scared faces looking at her through the slats of transport trucks—an act that has brought even President Ingrid Newkirk, a fierce and longtime animal defender, to tears.
We must not allow Regan to have died in vain but instead lament her tragic loss with more efforts, more action, more demands for accountability, and more demands for the end of killing animals for food—and for experiments, clothing, and entertainment. Here are five things that you can do right now to honor Regan and all the pigs who’ve been killed for food:
- Buy vegan bacon for someone who isn’t vegan.
- Give a vegan cookbook to a nonvegan friend or acquaintance.
- Put a sign in your window or on your lawn or slap a bumper sticker on your car urging folks to go vegan.
- Take a page from Regan’s book and speak out against speciesism on social media.
- Share this post on Facebook and Twitter—tell your friends not to allow Regan to have died in vain, either.
