Suspect in Kavanaugh Assassination Plot ‘Flew Under the Radar,’ Described as ‘Socially Awkward’
Former classmates, colleagues, and friends of the California man accused of attempting to assassinate Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh early Wednesday described him as a friendly but sometimes “socially awkward” young man who tended to fly “under the radar.”
None of the people who spoke to National Review said they had reason to believe that Nicholas John Roske, 26, of Simi Valley, would be a threat to kill anyone. Roske’s grandfather, Dan Shannon, told CBS Los Angeles that his grandson was a “good kid,” and the allegations against him are “extremely” out of character for him.
A former colleague of Roske’s said he did not stand out during the short time he worked with her at a Simi Valley pest control company, but she recalled that Roske became particularly “distraught” in the wake of a shooting at a nearby school. The colleague, who asked that her name not be released, told National Review that Roske only worked at Valley Guard Pest Control in Simi for a few months in the fall of 2019, though it is the only job listed on his sparse LinkedIn page. She said the only significant interaction she recalled having with him occurred in the wake of a shooting at nearby Saugus High School in November of 2019. In that shooting, a 16-year-old gunman shot five classmates, killing two, before killing himself.
“We knew someone who was going to school there at the time, and I believe he did also,” the colleague said. She said she and another colleague tried to talk positively about supporting the students who survived the shooting, who they believed would ultimately be okay.
“And he was kind of like, ‘No,’” she said. “He seemed more distraught, in a way that was like, people will not recover from this. … Maybe he felt like we were being insensitive or something. And he was like, ‘They won’t get over this.”
Roske was charged Wednesday with attempting to murder the Supreme Court justice. Attempts to reach his family members were unsuccessful. Roske graduated from Simi Valley High School in 2014 and was a member of the cross-country team for two years, school officials said.
One cross-country team member who spoke to National Review on the condition that her name not be released described Roske as “a normal kid that I ran with.” She said she didn’t recall Roske being particularly political when he was in high school.
“If you’re asking me if I saw him trying to assassinate political figures in the future, no, I didn’t foresee that being a thing,” she said of Roske. “To be honest, we were just normal kids in high school. He was one of the guys that was on the team. Talked about normal stuff, like whatever TV show, game was out at the time. He kind of flew under the radar for the most part.”
When reached on her cell phone Thursday, Roske’s friend, Madelyn Hodge, declined to comment and hung up. But she later texted, “All I will say is all of us, his friends, are completely shocked by this because he is a great friend and a very good person.”
Kenny Vergini, a former classmate and friend of Roske’s at Simi Valley High, told the New York Times that Roske “was always very friendly, kind of outgoing for the most part once you go to know him.” He added that Roske was “a little socially awkward.” Vergini said he and Roske attended the same college for a couple years, but hadn’t been in touch recently. He said he never expected his friend to do anything like he is accused of.
Roske was detained by police early Wednesday after he got out of a taxi in front of Kavanaugh’s Maryland home wearing black clothes and was spotted by two deputy U.S. Marshals, according to a criminal complaint. Roske told authorities he called 911 on himself because he was having suicidal thoughts, and he told a dispatcher that he had come “from California to kill a specific” Supreme Court justice, the affidavit said. Authorities searched his backpack and found a Glock 17 with two magazines and ammunition, a tactical knife, pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, a screwdriver, and other gear. Roske told authorities that he was upset about the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that would overturn Roe v. Wade, as well as the recent school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
He “began thinking about how to give his life purpose,” and decided to kill Kavanaugh after finding the justice’s address on the internet, according to the affidavit.
Last month, a collection of pro-abortion groups — including Ruth Sent Us, Vigil for Democracy, and Strike for Choice — doxxed six conservative Supreme Court justices, publishing an online map containing the location of their homes ahead of a series of planned marches.
Roske’s former colleague at Valley Guard Pest Control didn’t recall ever talking politics with him, but she said he liked to debate. The colleague said she didn’t get a sense that Roske was particularly lost or drifting when he worked at the company while he was in his mid-20s.
“Not any more than any other person that would have come and worked for us,” she said. “It’s kind of an entry-level job, and it doesn’t require a college education. We’ve had a few people who were just trying to figure it out, and they just need a job. They’re trying to figure out what they’re passionate about. That was kind of him.”
She said Roske was initially hired to do administrative work and answer phones, but he wasn’t particularly comfortable with some of the more difficult, confrontational aspects that sometimes come with a customer service job. His job was adjusted to focus on doing simple things like rescheduling appointments on the phone and helping around the office.
Roske’s former colleague said she was “shocked” to learn of the accusations against him.
Neighbors told local news outlets that the Roskes “were always nice people” and “great neighbors.” They said they were surprised and “dumbfounded” by this week’s events.
A one-time “best friend” of Roske’s mother, identified by New York Post only as Mary, said the Roskes are “quiet” and “really nice people.”
“They were never like gun people or anything like that, they didn’t have any cases or anything, they just went to their jobs and lived their lives, raised their kids, did what everybody else does,” said Mary, adding, “I just know it must be tearing them apart.”
