A California man who was arrested near U.S. Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s residence has been indicted for attempted murder of the justice.
A federal grand jury returned an indictment on Wednesday against Nicholas John Roske, a 26-year-old Simi Valley, California resident, after he allegedly traveled to Maryland to kill Kavanaugh.
Montgomery County police arrested Roske last week after he called the county’s Emergency Communications Center saying he was having suicidal thoughts, had a firearm and came to Kavanaugh’s residence to kill him.
Officers found a range of weapons in Roske’s backpack and suitcase, including a Glock 17 pistol with two magazines and ammunition, a hammer, a crowbar and pepper spray.
Roske is facing a sentence of up to life in prison if convicted of attempting to kill a justice of the United States, according to a release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland. The actual sentence for a federal crime is usually less than the maximum, the release notes.
An arrest affidavit for Roske states he told a detective he was upset about the leak of a draft decision revealing that the Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, as well as the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, that killed 19 students and two teachers.
Kavanaugh is reportedly among the majority that supports the draft decision overturning Roe v. Wade, and Roske said he believed the justice would rule in favor of Second Amendment rights in cases on gun control.
The House approved a bill on Tuesday that would provide security for Supreme Court justices’ family members, sending the proposal to President Biden for his signature.
“Any officer” on the bench could also receive protection if the court marshal believes it is necessary under the legislation, which was passed after days of disagreement between Democrats and Republicans over its scope.