A series of recently filed court documents provide additional insight into the mind of the man accused of attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Nicholas John Roske, 28, is scheduled to stand trial on federal charges on June 9, 2025, in a Maryland U.S. District Court.
The defendant faces one felony count of attempting to kidnap or murder, or threatening to assault, kidnap, or murder a judge, specifically a sitting United States Supreme Court Justice.
Roske’s lawyers filed five separate filings on Jan. 3, consisting of motions and supplemental motions, exhibits, and proposed sealed documents, to prevent prosecutors from introducing several pieces of evidence at his upcoming trial.
The two major motions sought to suppress the results of a warrantless search and seizure, as well as several statements made to investigators following Kavanaugh’s arrest outside his home in June 2022.
The defense claims in more than 100 pages submitted to U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte that police searched Roske’s belongings without a warrant and that he was not Mirandized prior to interrogation.
Defense attorneys claim that Roske’s mental state at the time made the subsequent interrogation even more legally suspect. That alleged mental health issue, in which Roske described himself as “actively suicidal,” made those statements neither “knowingly” nor “voluntarily” given.
A lengthy transcript with investigators filed on Friday provides several key insights into how the defendant perceived his mental health.
“My plan was to kill Mr. Kavanaugh and then myself,” Roske allegedly stated at one point.
“Just kill myself, then,” he allegedly said when asked if his plan for the jurist failed. “I’ve been actively suicidal for, I’m not sure how long now. Before I was researching this, which is something I enjoy doing, I don’t know if I would have been able to do it.
When asked why he wanted to end someone’s life permanently, the defendant allegedly stated that he had considered killing pedophiles.
“I thought if I could, like, prevent a child from being raped, that would be good,” Roske allegedly said. “But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that, like, I wouldn’t actually like do anything because the people that were convicted are already, like, on watch and all that stuff anyway.”
Finally, Roske allegedly stated that he believed killing Kavanaugh would have a more positive impact, citing a leaked draft copy of the Supreme Court decision that overturned the right to abortion.
“I’ve been suicidal for a long time, and when I saw that the leaked draft, it made me upset and then it made me want to — I don’t know,” said Roske, according to reports. “I was under the — I was under the delusion that I could make the world a better place by killing him.”
The defendant also allegedly stated that hearing about the leak in the case stylized as Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health motivated him to do “something positive before I die.”
“And was it just the leaked decision that made you angry, in what way?” An interrogator asked. I am just curious. You do not need to respond to that. It has absolutely nothing to do with anything.
Roske allegedly responded, “From a civil rights perspective.”
The filings also included a transcript of Roske’s 911 call on June 8, 2022, during which he turned himself in.
One section states:
THE DISPATCHER: And you said you came from California. Do you know someone down here?
MR. ROSKE: Brett Kavanaugh.
THE DISPATCHER: You said red, like that color?
MR. ROSKE: Brett.
THE DISPATCHER: Brett.
MR. ROSKE: The Supreme Court Justice.
THE DISPATCHER: Okay. And you came alone?
MR. ROSKE: Correct.
THE DISPATCHER: Okay. And why were you coming there? Just to hurt yourself and him or what was going to happen?
MR. ROSKE: Correct.
