WORCESTER, Mass. — A second detention hearing for accused military leaker Jack Teixeira in U.S. District Court has been canceled.
The cancellation of Thursday’s scheduled hearing follows a hotly anticipated hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Hennessy, who heard arguments over Teixeira’s potential pretrial release on April 27.
A new date has not been set.
Teixeira, 21, of North Dighton, is a U.S. Air National Guardsman who got into hot water after allegedly sharing top-secret documents about the war in Ukraine on Discord, a social media platform popular among video gamers that he accessed while employed at the Otis Air National Guard Base.
Beyond that, federal investigators allegedly unearthed online evidence that appeared to show Teixeira had a fascination with mass shootings and global violence.
Teixeira was arrested and charged in April under the Espionage Act and faces up to 25 years in prison, with the potential for a death penalty charge.
Among other alleged threats he made online, he said this in a social media post, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Nadine Pellegrini: “If I had my way I’d kill a f— ton of people.”
Prosecutors have argued to keep Teixeira behind bars pending trial, saying he is too dangerous to be released. Defense attorneys countered Teixeira’s alleged transgressions are a product of immaturity.
© 2023 Advance Local Media LLC.
Visit masslive.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Show Full Article
© Copyright 2023 MassLive.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Read the full article here