Anonymous ID: fc3a20 March 2, 2022, 7:25 a.m. No.15762967   πŸ—„οΈ.is πŸ”—kun

His name was Matt Perna

 

PITTSBURGH β€” A Capitol rioter from Mercer County killed himself Friday.

 

Matt Perna, who was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to four counts related to the Capitol breach, died of a "broken heart," his family said in his obituary.

 

The Mercer County Coroner's office on Tuesday confirmed that Perna committed suicide at his residence. He was 37.

 

His family partly blamed the government and the prosecution of his case for his fate.

 

"His community, which he loved, his country and the justice system killed his spirit and his zest for life," the obituary said.

 

"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."

 

Perna drove to Washington on Jan. 6 to attend the Donald Trump rally falsely declaring that the election was stolen.

 

He marched on the Capitol and entered the building wearing a "Make America Great Again" sweatshirt. He stayed inside for 20 minutes, filming with his phone and chanting "U.S.A." with the crowd. He later posted a video to his Facebook page in which he and a co-defendant, Stephen Ayres, introduced himself along with Perna and a woman in a hotel room.

 

In the video, Perna blamed antifa for breaking into the Capitol and said, "It's not over, trust

me. The purpose of today was to expose Pence as a traitor," a reference to former Vice President Mike Pence, who was conducting the certification of the 2020 presidential election.

 

A witness who knew Perna and had seen his Facebook page supporting Trump and the baseless QAnon conspiracy movement contacted the FBI, as did a second witness who knew him from his hometown of Sharpsville.

 

A Penn State graduate, Perna had lived in Thailand and South Korea at one time, teaching English, his family said. He also traveled extensively in Europe, Asia, India and South America and had gone on a mission trip to Haiti.

 

His family said he had attended the Trump rally to "peacefully stand up for his beliefs." They said he was "ushered in" by police and didn't cause damage or steal anything.

 

"For this act he has been persecuted by many members of his community, friends, relatives and people who had never met him," the obituary said.

 

It said his family members stood by him during the prosecution and are "extremely proud of his passion for life and his pursuit of many dreams."

 

Perna was awaiting an April 1 sentencing.

https://www.fltimes.com/news/nation/convicted-us-capitol-rioter-dies-by-suicide-before-sentencing/article_4a891415-9810-5b1c-be74-c5882747e643.html