A California man is set to plead guilty to attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh at his Maryland home nearly three years ago, according to a court filing submitted by his attorneys on Wednesday.
Nicholas John Roske, from Simi Valley, California, was arrested in June 2022 near Kavanaugh’s residence in Chevy Chase. Authorities said he was armed with a gun and a knife, carried zip ties, and wore all black when he arrived by taxi shortly after 1 a.m.
Roske, 26 at the time of his arrest, plans to plead guilty to attempting to kill a U.S. Supreme Court justice, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. His attorneys noted that he is doing so without a plea deal. They’ve requested a hearing be scheduled for early next week in Greenbelt, Maryland—a request to which federal prosecutors have agreed.
According to an FBI affidavit, Roske told police he was motivated by a leaked draft Supreme Court opinion indicating the justices were poised to overturn Roe v. Wade. He reportedly believed that assassinating one or more justices could influence the Court’s future rulings, allegedly writing, “I am shooting for three.” He also cited outrage over the Uvalde school shooting and believed Justice Kavanaugh would weaken gun laws.
Roske was taken into custody after calling 911 on himself, telling the dispatcher he was in the area and intended to die by suicide. U.S. Marshals assigned to Kavanaugh’s 24/7 security detail spotted and detained him.
In a 2022 court appearance, Judge Peter Messitte noted the likelihood of ordering a mental evaluation. However, Roske’s attorney, Andrew Szekely, stated the defense did not believe Roske was mentally unfit.
This is a developing news story and will be updated as more information is available.
Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this story.
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