A lawyer for the Kansas man who allegedly drove to the nation’s capital after threatening to kill President Biden — whom he believed was the Antichrist — says his client is a war hero who inadvertently killed an Afghan child in a firefight and is suffering from severe PTSD.
Maryland court records obtained by the Daily Beast indicate Scott Ryan Merryman is said to be a decorated paratrooper who served his country for five years, beginning in 2005. Last month, he was arrested outside a Maryland Cracker Barrel after telling an FBI agent he planned to “lop off the head of the serpent in the heart of the nation.”
Merryman was in possession of ammunition for a .45 caliber gun, but no firearm, when he was detained. He claimed to have been following God’s instructions. He confirmed the president was his target.
“I’m coming for his b—- ass Sleepy Joe,” Merryman said. “I’m talking about President Biden and you can quote me.”
The Army veteran reportedly spent 15 months in Afghanistan after enlisting in the military when he was 20 years old. His experiences there are said to have included the death of a partner and the shooting of a young person who was standing near a Taliban fighter.
“The emotional and physical toll of Scott’s time in Afghanistan was extensive,” Merryman’s court-appointed attorney reportedly told the court in a letter.
Merryman’s accolades are said to include an Army commendation medal that he was awarded after using “great skillfulness and sound judgment to save the life of a soldier who’d been shot.
The defense attorney said while still enlisted, Merryman was hospitalized in 2008 due to suicidal thoughts. In 2009, he was again treated for psychological issues. He is said to have been taken to an emergency room in 2021 because of depression, alcohol use and suicidal ideation. That letter also said Merryman’s efforts to adjust to civilian life have included prescribed medication and therapy. His wife Hannah, whom he married in August, reportedly said that her husband said one day in December, “He was going to hang himself today.”
Postings on his Facebook page around that time reportedly worried those close to the 37-year-old veteran.
“You think Hannah is a mess right now? Wait til she lives out this prophecy being fulfilled through the King of Kings in me,” he reportedly wrote. “Dead at 40 going out like a rock start (sic) doing God’s work for His kingdom and glory. Get on the train. Choo choooo. It’s leaving soon. Someone get me a shot of Thorazine.”
A Facebook page believed to have been operated by Merryman at the time of his arrest included several biblical postings, mention of pro-veteran events and statements that allegedly concerned law enforcement officials.
“There will be a miracle happening at the White House,” he reportedly wrote.
Merryman is also accused of communicating to a switchboard operator at the White House that he intended to harm the president.
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