An Alabama man who claimed to be Michael the Angel of Death has been charged with multiple felonies after he threatened to “do the Lord’s reaping” at a Catholic monastery in Orange County and then traveled to the church with a sizable cache of weapons, authorities said.
On Wednesday, Joshua Michael Richardson, 38, was charged with felony criminal threats and possession of six high-capacity gun magazines, brass knuckles and a sword, according to the Orange County district attorney’s office. Investigators also found knives, a stun gun, body armor, duct tape and rope in his truck.
On Aug. 19, St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado Canyon received an email from Richardson in which he claimed to be the “rider of the pale horse,” the last of the four horsemen in the Book of Revelation, who personifies death. He also said he was Michael the Angel of Death, referencing the Archangel Michael, who is tasked with escorting souls to the afterlife, prosecutors said.
Richardson wrote that he would soon be traveling to the church from Alabama and that he had selected St. Michael’s Abbey because it is one of the few places of worship that still celebrates Michaelmas. The church is scheduled to recognize the Feast of St. Michael on Sept. 29, which celebrates the archangel’s role as a defender of the faithful.
Richardson showed up at St. Michael’s Abbey on Aug. 26 and attended afternoon services. He then allegedly followed the priest into a private area of the church and informed him that “he came to do the Lord’s work, to separate the weak from the weeds, and that he rode his white pale horse from Alabama,” prosecutors said.
Two days later, the Orange County Sheriff’s Department received a report about the threatening emails and arrested Richardson.
“While incidents like this can feel unsettling, they also highlight the power of community,” said the Sheriff’s Department in a statement. “If something seems off, say something. Trust your instincts and report suspicious activity, whether it is a strange message, unusual behavior, or something that does not sit right.”
Richardson’s arrest took place just one day after a shooting at a Catholic school in Minneapolis killed two children and injured 21 others.
Prosecutors successfully argued that Richardson should be held without bail due to the serious danger he poses to the public. He is scheduled to be arraigned Thursday.
“No one should have to worship in fear that a stranger would walk through the door with the intent to carry out their own day of judgment and determine who lives and who dies,” said O.C. Dist. Atty. Todd Spitzer in a statement. “A threat on one house of worship is an attack on every place of worship, and we refuse to allow threats and terror dissuade any person from practicing their faith without fear.”
St. Michael’s Abbey describes itself as a community of Canons Regular of Prémontré, under the guardianship of St. Michael the Archangel, with more than 60 years of daily prayer, teaching and service. It is home to dozens of parishioners who live on the monastery’s compound.
