A Grand Rapids, Michigan man has been convicted on charges of threatening former Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot. William Kohles, 44, sent a menacing message through the city’s feedback form, which was explicit in its violent intent, promising a bullet “straight through your mother——- head” if Lightfoot did not address crime in the city.
The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Kohles’ message included not only threats but also racial slurs and misogynistic language. He was found guilty on two counts of threatening a public official. His sentencing, facing up to five years in prison for each count, will occur next month. According to the Sun-Times, Kohles’ attorney argued that the message was a spontaneous reaction to a news segment, claiming that Kohles “didn’t mean it.”
However, Judge Nicholas Kantas dismissed the idea that the message was hastily written. The words “showed his hostile intent,” the Sun-Times quotes Judge Kantas. He deemed the communication as a real threat, not protected by free speech. In light of these events, Lightfoot expressed her gratitude to authorities and stressed the gravity of the threat upon her and her family. “His death threat to me was direct, vile and replete with racist and misogynistic language. He wanted to cause me to be afraid, to worry about the safety of myself and my family,” Lightfoot told CBS News…