Staton had asked for money for repairs to an vehicle he had bought from Jerrod.

The demand escalated into an all-out feud between the neighbours, from Pocahontas in Arkansas, and Jerrod's father Bob suggested his son catch a poisonous snake and send it in the post.

So Jerrod, helped by a local man, caught the copperhead, put it in a box and dropped it off at the post office.

The next day, September 30, 2002, the package was delivered to Staton's wife, Kathy, who took it from a postman as she sat in a pick-up truck outside her home.

She threw it out of the window, and sheriff's deputies later shot it dead.

Bob Castleman's fingerprints were found on adhesive tape used to wrap the parcel.

The Castlemans pleaded guilty to mailing a "threatening communication".

Lawyers said Bob Castleman faces between 27 and 33 months in prison while his son faces 31 to 44 months.

Both men were freed on bail and will be sentenced later.

In their defence, the father and son claimed in court that Staton had fired a rifle at Jerrod and his girlfriend due to the dispute.

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