KEY POINTS

  • The man was charged with one count of attempted murder of a Supreme Court justice
  • If convicted, he could face a possible maximum prison sentence of 20 years
  • His next court date was tentatively set for June 22

Chevy Chase -- The California man, who allegedly showed up at Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s home Wednesday with an intent to kill him, found his "Montgomery County address on the Internet," court documents alleged.

Nicholas John Roske, 26, was arrested near the Chevy Chase, Maryland, house of Kavanaugh. The accused told the police he “began thinking about how to give his life purpose and decided that he would kill the Supreme Court Justice...," according to the New York Post.

It was believed he was angry over the recently leaked Supreme Court draft, which hinted at an overturning of the Roe v. Wade ruling and the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, which left 19 students and two teachers dead, a probable cause affidavit mentioned, according to CNBC.

Roske “indicated that he believed the Justice that he intended to kill would side with Second Amendment decisions that would loosen gun control laws,” the affidavit said.

According to reports, photos of Kavanaugh’s house were widely shared online after pro-choice activists staged demonstrations outside of his and other conservative justices’ homes to protest the leaked draft opinion. The draft suggested the court may likely scrap the landmark 1973 ruling legalizing abortion. The address was shared by some activists, who encouraged protestors to demonstrate outside his home.

A quick Google search also apparently gives out Kavanaugh’s location, the New York Post reported.

“Roske further indicated that he had purchased [a] Glock pistol and other items for the purpose of breaking into the Justice’s residence and killing the Justice as well as himself,” FBI Special Agent Ian Montijo wrote in the affidavit, according to the CNBC.

Authorities discovered a Glock 17 with two magazines and ammunition, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, a screwdriver, a nail punch, a crowbar, a pistol light and duct tape, among other items.

Roske is being charged with one count of attempted murder of a Supreme Court justice. If convicted, he could face a possible maximum prison sentence of 20 years.

His next court date is tentatively set for June 22.

Reacting to the incident, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters, “This kind of behavior is obviously behavior that we will not tolerate.”

“Threats of violence and actual violence against the justices of course strike at the heart of our democracy, and we will do everything we can to prevent them and hold the people who do them accountable for that reason,” Garland said, according to CNBC.

US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in November 2018
US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in November 2018 AFP / MANDEL NGAN