The Sacramento man charged with making threats against former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama will rely on an insanity defense at trial, his federal defenders disclosed Thursday in a court filing in Iowa federal court.
Kuachua Brillion Xiong, 25, who court papers say is a former grocery clerk in Merced and a Sacramento resident, was scheduled to make a second court appearance in court Thursday, but that video appearance was rescheduled for Jan. 5.
Xiong’s federal defender, Michael F. Maloney, filed notice to the court Thursday of Xiong’s “intent to reply upon an insanity defense at the time of any trial in this matter.”
“He also provides notice that if he pursues an insanity defense, he will introduce expert evidence at trial relating to a mental disease bearing on the issue of guilt,” Maloney wrote, adding that if prosecutors seek a mental examination of Xiong he will request a competency examination for his client.
Xiong is accused in court papers of a bizarre plan to drive to Washington, D.C., from California — armed with an AR-15 rifle, body armor and boxes of ammunition — to kill Clinton and Obama, as well as Dr. Anthony Fauci and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Court papers say Xiong also told investigators he planned to scale the White House fence with a grappling hook and would “kill President Joseph Biden unless he promised to comply to Xiong’s demands.”
Court filings do not provide specifics of Xiong’s mental state, but say he told Secret Service interviewers he planned to “combat evil demons in the White House.”
He also expressed his “disapproval for government due to the sex abuse of children,” a possible reference to the online QAnon conspiracy theory.
Xiong was stopped for speeding on Interstate 80 by a Cass County sheriff’s deputy on Dec. 21 while driving through Iowa, court papers say, and the deputy called the U.S. Secret Service office in Omaha after seeing that the vehicle Xiong was driving in appeared to be “lived in,” that his GPS was directing him to the White House and because of statements Xiong made.
“Xiong began to attempt to control the conversation and began talking about his disapproval for government due to the sex abuse of children, some of which that has occurred by President Biden,” court papers say. “Xiong made several statements to the extent that this type of behavior had to be dealt with.”
He also told a deputy that he had the rifle and ammunition in his car trunk, where officers also found several pieces of body armor, court papers say.
Xiong agreed to be taken to the sheriff’s office, where a Secret Service agents interviewed him, court papers say.
“Until approximately two months ago, Xiong was working at a local grocery store in Merced, CA,” Larson wrote. “Xiong stated that his employment at the grocery store was to be maintained as a ‘cover’ until called upon by God to ‘combat evil demons in the White House.’
“Xiong believes that he is the only person remaining who can free the United States of evil and it is necessary for him to kill those in positions of power. It is at this time Xiong began assembling the equipment needed to carry out his plan to kill those in power: an assault rifle, assault rifle magazines, ammunition, body armor, medical supplies, dark clothing, grappling hook, food, and cash.”
Xiong is currently in custody in the Pottawattamie County Jail in Council Bluffs.
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