BROWNSVILLE — A man who believes he is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ is charged with threatening to kill President Donald Trump.
BROWNSVILLE — A man who believes he is the reincarnation of Jesus Christ is charged with threatening to kill President Donald Trump.
The Secret Service arrested Steven Joseph Christopher, 51, on Aug. 8 in San Antonio on charges levied in an indictment accusing the man of knowingly and willfully threatening to take the life of Donald John Trump, President of the United States of America.
Court documents do not provide insight into the nature of the threat, which was allegedly made by Christopher on June 19. An arraignment hearing Thursday afternoon where Christopher pleaded not guilty to the charges also did not provide any more details of the alleged threat.
A YouTube user, however, did post a video showing Christopher on South Padre Island on July 26, which may be why the charge of threatening the president was brought in Brownsville, and a public apology posted on June 23 on Facebook by a self-described former follower of Christopher’s states that the man was detained by the Secret Service on South Padre Island.
During the Thursday hearing, Christopher, who did not say much, asked for a presidential pardon.
“I would like to request that a presidential pardon should be granted to me,” Christopher said during the hearing, which Magistrate Judge Ronald G. Morgan said would not happen in his court.
The man’s attorney, Nat Perez, has filed a motion seeking an examination for mental competency, which states that Christopher appears to have a psychological illness and appears to be suffering from a mental disease and is unable to understand the proceedings against him.
“More specifically, defendant appears delusional and paranoid to the extent that he cannot effectively communicate with his attorney,” the motion states. “Defendant claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ.”
Perez told Morgan, however, that Christopher, who was in a traumatic accident in 2017, should receive a chance at bond and could live with his mother in Arizona. Further more, Perez said, it appears that Christopher may have the ability to afford psychological help.
Morgan instead ruled that he should be held without bond pending further proceedings, citing the man’s criminal history, which includes a 2009 conviction for threatening a past president.
A Reuters story from 2009 states that the Justice Department arrested Christopher for threatening to kill then President-elect Obama based on statements he posted on a website about UFOs and aliens.
