National

Alleged Holocaust Museum Gunman Appears In Court

By Dina Temple-Raston

Published September 2, 2009 at 9:04 AM PDT

This story was published more than 15 years ago.

An artist's rendering shows James von Brunn, accused of fatally shooting a security guard June 10 at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., in federal court Wednesday.

The white supremacist charged with killing a security guard at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in June appeared in a federal court Wednesday for the first time.

James von Brunn, 89, had been in the hospital since the June 10 incident in which he was reportedly shot in the face. He was in a wheelchair during his appearance in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C.

During the 30-minute hearing, von Brunn's attorney asked that his client be evaluated to determine whether he is competent to stand trial. Von Brunn objected, at first shaking his head and then calling out "your honor." His attorney and the judge tried to stop him.

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"Your Constitution guarantees me a speedy and fair trial," von Brunn finally said in a halting voice.

James von Brunn in an undated photograph provided by the sheriff's office in Talbot County, Md.

"I'm a United States citizen, and as a U.S. naval officer, I swore to protect my country. I take my vows very seriously," said von Brunn, a World War II veteran who served on a PT boat.

However, the judge granted the request for a competency evaluation.

Von Brunn was indicted in July on seven different charges including first-degree murder in the death of museum guard Stephen T. Johns. Four of those charges would make him eligible for the death penalty if convicted.

FBI officials say von Brunn acted alone and had no formal ties with any white supremacist groups. In law enforcement parlance, he was what is known as a "lone wolf." Lone wolves generally fall into four categories: religious extremists, political terrorists, people who have long-standing mental problems, and those who just snap.

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Law enforcement officials allege that von Brunn had been nursing a lifetime of racial resentments and conspiracy theories, and that put him in the political terrorist category. Investigators found racist essays that von Brunn allegedly wrote and published on the Internet. The museum guard who was shot and killed was black.

Von Brunn also had a clear mistrust of the government — so much so that in the 1980s, he stormed the Federal Reserve Board in Washington, D.C., and attempted to take the Board of Governors hostage. He was sentenced in 1983 to more than four years in prison for attempted armed kidnapping and other charges in that assault, and was released in 1989.

Material from The Associated Press was used in this report.