Michigan Man Bound Over for Trial on Charges He Threatened to Kill a Judge and Claimed Bomb-Making Chemicals
Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced on November 6 that Kyle Fawaz, 31, of Howell, in Michigan's Livingston County, was bound over on Tuesday, November 3, to stand trial in the 44th Circuit Court in Livingston County for allegedly making threats against the life of a sitting circuit court judge.
Fawaz was charged in October with one count each of Making a Terroristic Threat, a 20-year felony, Use of a Computer to Commit a Crime, a 20-year felony, and Malicious Use of Telecommunications Services, a 6-month misdemeanor.
In August, Fawaz allegedly sent several text messages to his probation officer in which he allegedly stated his intent to kill a specific judge, that he possessed large quantities of chemicals that could be used to make a bomb, and explained how these components could be combined to such an effect. The judge had presided over a prior criminal case in the 3rd Circuit Court concerning Fawaz.
"Public servants, from judges to clerks to local officials and lawmakers, shouldn't have to fear for their personal safety, or their very lives, for fulfilling their duties," Nessel said at the time of Fawaz's arraignment. "Threats of this nature are unacceptable against anyone, though when they are made against an officer of the court for their service to public safety, it's a crime not only against the victim but also the institutions that keep all our communities safe."
The case is being prosecuted by the Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism Unit, launched by Nessel in 2019, which has taken on dozens of cases involving threats against elected officials at all levels. Residents are urged to report threats, suspicious activity and bias-motivated violence to local law enforcement first, and then to the Department of Attorney General.
In criminal proceedings, a criminal charge is merely an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
(Source: Michigan Attorney General)
Source: Michigan Attorney General
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：密歇根州总检察长达娜·内塞尔。SecretName101 摄，CC BY 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel. Photo by SecretName101, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
