The California man arrested Wednesday outside Justice Brett Kavanaugh's home has been charged with attempted murder of a Supreme Court justice. A federal affidavit identified the man as Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, the New York Times reports. The document says that the man was carrying a suitcase and backpack that held, among other items, a "black tactical chest rig and tactical knife," a pistol, two magazines, ammunition, pepper spray, zip ties, and a hammer. He intended to break into the justice's house in the Maryland suburbs of DC, kill him, then commit suicide, according to the filing.
Before his arrest, he had called 911 after arriving near Kavanaugh's house, per the Washington Post and Fox News. In addition to threatening the justice, he said he was having suicidal thoughts, prosecutors said. "Roske stated that he began thinking about how to give his life a purpose and decided that he would kill the Supreme Court Justice," the affidavit says. He was still on the phone when Montgomery County police officers arrived. The filing does not say which justice the suspect intended to kill; a Supreme Court spokesperson confirmed that a man was arrested near Kavanaugh's home after threatening him.
He appeared in court Wednesday afternoon with a public defender at his side. When the judge asked Roske if he understood what was going on, he answered, "I think I have a reasonable enough understanding, but I wouldn't say I’m thinking clearly." He told the judge that he was on medication and that he'd taken it Wednesday, per the Post. Roske agreed to be held until trial, waiving a bond hearing. (More attempted murder stories.)
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