A man in Kansas has been convicted of threatening to kill Republican Kansas Rep. Jake S. Jake LaTurner, claiming that it was a message from God.
32-year-old Chase Neill of Lawrence was found guilty of a single count of threatening a U.S. government official.
The presiding judge advised the jury that in order to find him guilty, they had to come to the conclusion that Neill had made a genuine threat and meant to either intimidate LaTurner or obstruct his duties as a Republican congressman.
Neill acted as his own attorney and cross-examined LaTurner on the witness stand on Wednesday. He said during his testimony on Thursday that he was a messenger from God and that he had delivered a warning to LaTurner about sorcery, wizards, extraterrestrials, and a war for people’s souls.
Federal prosecutors said Neill obsessed over LaTurner before leaving a message on June 5 with the congressman’s Topeka office that said, “I will kill you.” LaTurner testified that he was concerned about his family’s and staff’s safety and had increased security at his home and office in Topeka.
Neill admitted in court that he left the June 5 voicemail and others with more death threats the next day. But he stated that he was communicating a warning from God that LaTurner and other officials faced death by an act of God, such as a tornado or storm, for harming God’s creation.
“This is not me saying, ‘I’m going to chase you down with a knife,’ or something like that,” Neill said in his closing argument.
Upon leaving the courtroom, his mother said, “He never raised a hand on anybody.”
This comes as threats against members of Congress have ramped up since the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. In October, an intruder broke into former House U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s house and severely beat her husband, Paul Pelosi, with a hammer.
The suspect, David DePape, has since pleaded not guilty to six charges, including attempted murder, first-degree residential burglary, elder abuse, assault with a deadly weapon, false imprisonment, and threatening a family member of a public official. DePape is still being held without bail; his state case returns to court on Feb. 23.
