Liz Johnson and Will Aghajanian in 2021.

“I’m Cancelable. But I’m Not a Cat Killer”

Horses was the hottest restaurant in L.A., until co-owner Liz Johnson accused her husband and partner, Will Aghajanian, of murdering their pets. Three years later, he breaks his silence

By Kelly Loudenberg

On May 17, 2023, the James Beard Award–nominated chef Will Aghajanian entered Vesper, a dimly lit cocktail bar in Bangkok’s Silom district, and ordered a martini. Then he ordered another one, and slouched forward, crying. He knew what was coming. “Are you O.K.?” the bartender asked.

After more than a dozen martinis, he returned to his hotel and slept through a steady hum of phone alerts under his pillow. He awoke to a text from his new girlfriend, who had planned to meet him in Thailand for vacation: “I read the stories. We need to talk.”