Buffalo shooter sentenced to life; Charlottesville marcher dies of suicide
A man featured in some of the most enduring photographs from 2017's white supremacist "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, has died. Meanwhile, the gunman who killed 10 people in a racist shooting in Buffalo was sentenced to life in prison, and activists are livid about the appearance at a Congressional hearing of a Border Patrol union leader who has pushed a racist conspiracy theory.
It's the week in extremism.
Charlottesville fallout: Lawsuit over 'Unite the Right' rally hobbled white supremacist groups,
Man in iconic Charlottesville images takes his own life
A Missouri man who appeared in some of the most shockingly iconic photos from 2017's white supremacist "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville died last month, news that first broke on Tuesday. He was about to appear in court on drug trafficking charges.
Teddy Von Nukem, who changed his name to reflect his affinity with a video game character, appeared in viral photographs from Charlottesville in which he is holding a tiki torch and chanting racist slogans in a crowd of like-minded white supremacists.
Von Nukem was charged in 2021 with allegedly crossing the US/Mexico border with 33 pounds of pills that tested positive for fentanyl. He was due to stand trial on the charges in Arizona on Jan. 30 the day he was found dead. Autopsy reports showed he died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the Daily Beast and Washington Post reported.
The news of Von Nukem's death was first reported in a viral Twitter thread by Molly Conger, an independent journalist in Charlottesville.
Context: The deadly Unite the Right rally opened many Americans' eyes to the rising threat of white supremacy in this country. Buoyed by the election of President Donald Trump, the movement, much of which at the time billed itself the "Alt-right," held a brazen show of anti-Semitism and racism in Charlottesville.
Buffalo shooter sentenced to life
Extremists label mass shooters 'saints': Online, extremists turn shooters into 'saints.' Experts worry others aspire to join the ranks
The man who killed 10 people in a racially motivated mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, in May was sentenced to life in prison without parole after pleading guilty to multiple felonies.
Payton Gendron, who wept during the sentencing, apologized to the families of the victims. "I cannot express how much I regret all the decisions I made leading up to my actions on May 14," he said. "I did a terrible thing that day."
Relatives of the victims and survivors of the attack relayed their anger and sorrow to Gendron before the sentencing. “Visions haunt me in my sleep every night,” said Christopher Braden, who was shot in the leg during the attack. “My scars and pain remind me of how strong I've become.”
Gendron was briefly rushed by a man in the courtroom. The man was held back by attorneys and court security officers.
Documenting a fall into hate: Before his attack, Gendron published hundreds of pages of materials online. The documents, which include an online diary, detail his descent into racism, hate and, ultimately, violence.
Border official who pushed conspiracy theory presents to Congress
Eighteen advocacy groups, including the progressive Western States Center, issued a statement condemning a Congressional committee's decision to hear testimony from Brandon Judd, president of the National Border Patrol Council. Judd, as I reported last year, has been a firm proponent of the Great Replacement, a racist and antisemitic conspiracy theory.
Spreading a hateful conspiracy: 'Replacement theory' fuels extremists and shooters. Now a top Border Patrol agent is spreading it.
Explainer: Great Replacement: Yes, American voter demographics are changing. No, that’s not what Replacement Theory is
Judd testified at the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on Wednesday.
I reported on Judd's promotion of the "great replacement" in May, after the Border Patrol union leader used rhetoric on Fox News that was remarkably similar to that used by the white supremacist groups I monitor.
Deeper: Judd and others cloud their use of this racist trope by arguing that U.S. demographics are changing, and therefore the theory is true. As I explained in this story, that is not correct.
'Great Replacement' poll: Month before Buffalo shooting, poll finds, 7 in 10 Republicans believed in 'great replacement' ideas
Statistic of the week: 7 of 10
Gendron, the Buffalo shooter, was a firm believer in the Great Replacement theory.
He and Judd are not alone in believing this trope, As I reported last year, a poll taken a month before the Buffalo attack found 7 out of 10 Republicans also believed in the Great Replacement.
Perhaps the question is, how many do today?
Catch up: Last week in extremism
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Teddy Von Nukem, of Charlottesville 'Unite the Right' rally, dies
