An Alabama man claiming to be “the Angel of Death” has been arrested after he allegedly threatened a California church, both in-person and via email, authorities say.
The Orange County Sheriff’s Department announced Tuesday that they arrested 38-year-old Joshua Michael Richardson, who is suspected of sending threats to St. Michael’s Abbey of Silverado Canyon.
According to police, the sheriff’s department was contacted last week about “suspicious, threatening emails” that were sent to the church, allegedly by Richardson. From there, the Alabama resident “visited the church in person and made additional threats.”
Richardson was soon located and detained by authorities. A search of his vehicle found brass knuckles, knives, body armor and high-capacity magazines. However, no guns or ammunition were located.
Richardson was arrested and is being held at the Orange County Jail.
“While incidents like this can feel unsettling, they also highlight the power of community. If something seems off, say something,” stated Orange County authorities.
“Trust your instincts and report suspicious activity, whether it is a strange message, unusual behavior, or something that does not sit right. Your call could stop a crime before it happens.”
In another press release, the Orange County Office of the District Attorney noted that Richardson had claimed that he was the “rider of the pale horse,” referring to the Four Horsemen in the book of Revelation, and that he had been “sent to do the Lord’s reaping before his harvest.”
According to Revelation 6:8, the pale horse rider is the personification of death.
Located fewer than 50 miles from Los Angeles, St. Michael’s Abbey has around 60 priests and over 40 seminarians who are studying to enter the priesthood.
Richardson’s arrest comes days after a trans-identified man opened fire at a Catholic school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, killing two children and wounding 17 others before killing himself. Fourteen of the injured were students in kindergarten through the eighth grade.
Robert Westman, a 23-year-old man who identified as female and went by the name “Robin,” before deciding that attempting to transition was a mistake, brought multiple guns to Annunciation Catholic School and fired at the students and staff while they were attending morning mass.
Videos of Westman online show him engaging in anti-Christian, antisemitic, and racist rhetoric and displays, as well as calling for the death of President Donald Trump.
Fletcher Merkel, an 8-year-old child who was one of the two people murdered by Westman, will have his funeral held at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis on Sunday, reported The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Last month, the Family Research Council released its latest “Hostility against Churches in the United States” report, which found that last year, there were 415 reported hostile acts against churches across 43 states, which affected 383 houses of worship.
“Although the motivations for many of these incidents remain unknown, the rise in crimes against churches is taking place in a context in which fewer Americans are attending religious services or identifying with a specific faith,” the report explained.
“According to Gallup, 42 percent of U.S. adults regularly attended religious services 20 years ago, but now that number has fallen to 30 percent. This decline means that fewer Americans share a common understanding of what church buildings represent.”
