Valley Man Admits To Attempting To Murder Supreme Court Justice

CALIFORNIA — A Simi Valley man will plead guilty to trying to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett M. Kavanaugh, his attorney informed the court this week.

The decision is apparently not part of a plea deal with federal prosecutors. Nicholas John Roske was charged with a single county of attempting to murder a Justice of the United States in 2022 after he was found with a gun, knife and pepper spray near the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in Chevy Chase, Maryland.

In Tuesday's court filing Roske's public defender said he admits to planning to kill Kavanaugh and had taken substantial steps toward doing so. He acknowledged that he could face a sentence of life in prison and that he would likely have been convicted if his case went to trial before a jury.

A previous judge in the case had raised questions about whether Roske is mentally fit to assist in his own defense.

Prosecutors allege Roske, who was 26 at the time, told police he planned to kill Kavanaugh.

Prosecutors say Roske traveled from California to the justice's home in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with the intent of killing Kavanaugh. Roske pulled up near the home in a taxi shortly after 1 a.m. on June 8 carrying a suitcase with a gun and ammunition, a tactical chest rig with pepper spray and a knife, and a flashlight, a laser, a thermal monocular and other burglary tools, according to court papers.

Federal officials have said Roske said he purchased the gun to kill Kavanaugh and also planned to kill himself. He was arrested by police in Montgomery County, Maryland, after he called 911 and told a police dispatcher he was near Kavanaugh's home and wanted to take his own life.

He allegedly said he was upset by a leaked draft opinion showing the Supreme Court was on the verge of overturning Roe v. Wade. He also said he was upset over the school massacre in Uvalde, Texas, and believed Kavanaugh would vote to loosen gun control laws, according to prosecutors.

Roske was still on the phone when Montgomery County police arrived on the scene.

The indictment came a day after the House gave final approval to legislation that would allow around-the-clock security protection for families of Supreme Court justices.

The Associated Press contributed to this report