WASHINGTON – A California woman was sentenced to eight years in prison for the "harrowing experience" of trying to kill Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

U.S. District Judge Deborah Boardman in Maryland sentenced Sophie Roske of Los Angeles on Oct. 3 for flying across country to Kavanaugh's house with a gun and other weapons.

Roske, who had faced a maximum of life in prison after pleading guilty in April, had told the judge in a handwritten note that therapy and medications helped her recognize that "violence (political or otherwise) is not the solution."

"I have been portrayed as a monster, and this tragic mistake I made will follow me for the rest of my life," Roske told the judge Oct. 1.

The case was another example of growing political violence threatened or carried out against public figures in an increasingly polarized country.

Other examples include the assassinations of conservative advocate Charlie Kirk in September and two Minnesota lawmakers in June, two assassination attempts against President Donald Trump when he was a candidate in July and September 2024, arson at Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro's home in April and a kidnapping plot against Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in October 2020.

In a September interview with USA TODAY, Justice Amy Coney Barrett voiced concern about violence against public figures.

"But violence or threats of violence should not be the price of public service, and certainly not against family members," Barrett said. "So something needs to change in our culture."

Roske apologized for 'harrowing experience' for Kavanaugh

Roske apologized for putting Kavanaugh and his family through the incident in a five-page, handwritten note submitted to the judge Sept. 19.

“I put them through a harrowing experience and for that I am truly sorry,” Roske wrote. “I am also sorry for contributing to a trend of political violence in American politics.”

Roske was upset about a leaked Supreme Court draft decision overturning the right to abortion. Roske described mental health issues in the note and said the plan was to kill Kavanaugh and then herself, but that therapy and medications have helped her.

“While there are many things in the world that I am still upset about, I now recognize that violence (political or otherwise) is not the solution,” Roske wrote.

Prosecutors sought at least 30 years; Roske's lawyers asked for 8

Prosecutors had asked for a sentence of at least 30 years based on a history of Roske's Google searches and chats on the Discord app, which mentioned plans to kill up to three justices.

“The defendant’s actions and intent – which were determined, focused, and undeterred for months – were extremely dangerous to the lives of multiple sitting judges, their family members, and the Constitutional judicial order,” prosecutors said in a filing.

Roske’s lawyers proposed an eight-year sentence. They argued that prosecutors downplayed Roske’s surrender and provided only perfunctory analysis of Roske’s mental health issues.

“As any internet user knows, Googling and doom-scrolling, even in dark corners of the internet, does not equate to criminal intent,” the defense lawyers said in a filing.

Roske flew to Kavanaugh's home with weapons, then surrendered

Roske had flown from Los Angeles to Dulles International Airport near Washington in June 2022 with a firearm and ammunition, according to court records. Roske took a taxi to Kavanaugh’s house in suburban Maryland.

Two deputy U.S. Marshals guarding the house saw Roske arrive about 1 a.m. in black clothing with a black backpack and suitcase, according to court records. The marshals got out of their vehicle as the suspect walked down the street and called the Montgomery County Emergency Communications Center to report having homicidal and suicidal thoughts.

County police responded and arrested Roske. Besides the gun and a total of 27 rounds of ammunition, Roske had pepper spray, zip ties, a hammer, screwdrivers, duct tape, lock-pick tools and other items.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh's attempted assassin gets 8 years

Reporting by Bart Jansen, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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