Man Who Plotted To Kill Democratic Lawmakers After Threatening Wife With Gun Violence Pleads Guilty

A former attorney from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania has pleaded guilty on Monday, March 7, to planning an attack on Washington’s Democratic leaders of his community after he was arrested a few days after the Republican-led Capitol insurrection.

Kenelm Shirk, a 72-year-old man, was arrested after an argument with his wife regarding the 2020 Presidential elections and the attempted Capitol insurrection that led to her reporting Shirk to authorities as he threatened her life due to her opinions in the matter, the Daily Beast reported.

She also mentioned that Shirk had been planning on killing government officials in Washington, D.C., though it has yet to be released as to who he was planning to murder. He also told her that he planned to commit “suicide by cop” if he finds resistance on his way, according to FOX 43.

When police officers found Shirk through pinging his phone’s location, they were able to arrest him at a gas station, where they found a rifle, handguns, and ammunition inside his vehicle, clearly visible to many outside the car.

A mental evaluation was performed on Shirk a few days later, and the nurse who administered the test said that he sounded serious when he told her that he would kill his wife as well as members of the government that he disagreed with.

The nurse reportedly told police officers that “she did not want to see it on the news and feel like she was responsible,” before stating that he said that he would “kill his wife, but not today” in a bored, monotone voice when asked. He claimed that he was ready to die, though it is unclear if this is due to his age or his political beliefs.

They also found a list within his person that listed mundane normal things like birthday presents in the front while listing down things like “guns, ammo, rope, tools, meds, magazine” on the other side, as if he were hiding the list from prying eyes.

“She had a strong gut feeling and instinct that this was more than just a guy who was having a bad day and angry about the election,” police said in a statement.

Shirk had been disbarred by the Disciplinary Board of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court last May after his arrest. He will be sentenced later this year by U.S. Middle District Court Judge Jennifer Wilson.