A man who participated in the January 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol Building has taken his own life while awaiting sentencing. His family and friends said to the Department of Justice he was “bullied to death” over the incident.
Following Trump’s loss of the presidency to his predecessor Joe Biden, swarms of supporters marched to the Capitol building after Trump urged them to “peacefully and patriotically” make their voices heard.
Over 725 protesters were arrested following the breach of the building which resulted in two deaths – a police officer and a protester.
Mathew Perna, 37, had pleaded guilty to four charges related to the Capitol building breach, but none of these were said to be related to violent crimes and his family insists he did no damage to the building.
No details of the alleged suicide have been released, but according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Mercer County Coroner’s Office said Perna had taken his life at his residence last Friday.
It was reported by Law & Crime that Perna had entered the Capitol after the doors were already breached by other demonstrators.
He is seen on video chanting with the crowd and allegedly stayed for around twenty minutes, taking photographs behind a roped section of the building.
“He entered the Capitol through a previously opened door (he did not break in as was reported) where he was ushered in by police,” Perna’s obituary explains. “He didn’t break, touch, or steal anything. He did not harm anyone, as he stayed within the velvet ropes taking pictures”.
The touching tribute to the devoted Christian says Perna “loved animals, especially dogs”, “enjoyed conversing with people of all walks of life, especially the elderly”, long distance running and “all music of all types”, but had died of a “broken heart”.
When he became aware the FBI were looking for him, Perna reportedly handed himself in. For peacefully protesting for what he believed in, the young man who loved travelling and playing the piano and saxophone was “persecuted by many members of his community, friends, relatives, and people who had never met him”, says the tribute.
“The constant delays in hearings, and postponements dragged out for over a year. Because of this, Matt’s heart broke and his spirit died, and many people are responsible for the pain he endured. Matt did not have a hateful bone in his body. He embraced people of all races, income brackets, and beliefs, never once berating anyone for having different views.”
Biden’s barefaced hypocrisy about the incident at the Capitol building juxtaposed to his all-out support for the months of violent riots, looting, arson attacks and beatings during the Black Lives Matter protests earlier that year is strikingly apparent and has not gone unnoticed.
“If confirmed, this defendant committed no violent crime and walked through an open door with Capitol police present,” tweeted American Greatness writer Julia Kelly. “At least one other Jan 6 defendant has committed suicide”,
“Biden’s DOJ has tried to destroy so many lives over the past year–they may have another victim.”
This story syndicated with permission from For the Love of News