Man pleads guilty to Brett Kavanaugh assassination attempt

Nicholas Roske pleaded guilty in a federal court in Maryland on Tuesday to charges related to a failed assassination plot against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in 2022. Authorities arrested Roske near Kavanaugh’s Maryland home and found him carrying a gun with multiple ammunition rounds. Police also recovered burglary equipment from his suitcase, including a lock-picking set, a black mask, zip ties, tactical gloves, and hiking boots with padded soles, according to court filings.

Roske told authorities that he had traveled from California to commit a murder-suicide out of concern that Kavanaugh would vote to loosen gun control laws. The 29-year-old admitted taking substantial measures to kill Kavanaugh in a court filing last week before formally admitting to the charge of  attempting to murder a justice of the United States before U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman on Tuesday.

What will Roske be sentenced to? Boardman scheduled an Oct. 3 sentencing hearing for Roske, and he could receive up to life imprisonment, along with a $250,000 fine and a lifetime of supervised release, according to his team. Roske’s attorneys told The Washington Post that their client had taken responsibility for his actions since he suffered a mental health crisis that triggered his crimes.

Dig deeper: Read Mary Muncy’s report on Roske’s 2022 charges for more background.