As threats of political violence continue to grow in the United States, a Rocky Hill man is facing criminal charges for repeatedly threatening Connecticut Democratic lawmakers online.
Local police in Rocky Hill seized four rifles and ammunition from Robert Pabich on Oct. 19 and later charged him on Oct. 24 with intimidation, stalking and disorderly conduct after he posted a comment online calling for Sen. Matt Lesser, D-Middletown, and nine other Democratic lawmakers to be shot and killed.
“Take note of this picture. Every one of these pieces of trash need bullets shot directly into their faces … Just like they did to Charlie Kirk,” Pabich wrote below a photo of the Lesser and the nine other Democratic lawmakers who participated in the No Kings protest at the state Capitol on Oct. 18.
The arrest warrant issued for Pabich shows that this was not the first time the Rocky Hill resident has posted threatening messages about Connecticut Democrats online.
The police investigation into Pabich, 43, detailed a long history of violent messaging, including numerous antisemitic remarks directed at Lesser and other Jewish officials.
According to the arrest warrant, the Connecticut Capitol Police had a case file on Pabich that included similar instances of threats spanning from 2002 to 2020.
But the new charges filed against Pabich came as threats of politically motivated violence are gaining far more attention due to the murder of Minnesota’s former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman, the shooting of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and the two assassination attempts on President Donald Trump during the 2024 election.
When Rocky Hill police confronted Pabich about the threatening messages he posted online this month, he told officers that he was a “peaceful, non-violent guy.”
And he suggested that he was just speaking his mind online. “I’m the ultimate expression of free speech. I won’t threaten someone directly, but I’ll say things,” Pabich said, according to the affidavit.
“I try not to overtly threaten people,” he added.
The messages that police officers cited in the arrest warrant, however, highlight a significant number of threatening and antisemitic posts, many of which were directed specifically at Lesser.
In 2022, Pabich wrote on Instagram that Lesser deserved the “Paul Pelosi treatment,” ostensibly referring to the former U.S. House Speaker’s husband who was assaulted with a hammer in his home.
“Can people like you just do society a favor and die before we just have to round you up and execute you,” Pabich wrote at another point.
He also went so far as to post Lesser’s home address online while making some of the threatening comments.
“Perfect example of why the Tree of Life Synagogue deserved to be fumigated,” he wrote, referencing the 2018 mass shooting in Pittsburgh in which a white supremacist targeted and killed 11 Jewish worshipers. “If anything we should clean house over at (Lesser’s address) as well, and purge more of these Jewish communists out of our community.”
Lesser, who has served in the legislature since 2019, told police that the latest posts from Pabich made him fear for his family’s safety. His wife and infant daughter were forced to leave their house, Lesser told police.
“Mr. Pabich’s pattern of serious and escalating threats have caused considerable distress,” Lesser told police.
Rocky Hill police relied on the social media posts to seek a risk protection order from a Connecticut judge, which allowed officers to legally seize four rifles and “military-grade” ammunition from Pabich’s home.
Lesser told the Connecticut Mirror he was thankful for the quick action of law enforcement.
News of Pabich’s arrest, which was first reported by Hearst Connecticut Media, prompted an outpouring of support for Lesser and widespread condemnation of political violence from Republican and Democratic leaders in Connecticut.
“Connecticut Senate Republicans condemn these vile threats in the strongest of terms,” Stephen Harding, the state Senate’s Republican Minority Leader, said in a statement. “We are relieved that Sen. Matthew Lesser and our other colleagues are safe. We will continue to call out all forms of political violence. We thank law enforcement and state prosecutors for their work.”
Harding himself was the target of a bomb threat at his home in Brookfield earlier this year. A similar threat was also directed at Attorney General William Tong around the same time.
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro issued a statement Wednesday denouncing the threats and antisemitic comments made toward Lesser and other officials.
“In the wake of rising political violence, we must stand strong and united against hate speech, including those that target religion, race, or political beliefs,” DeLauro said. “I applaud law enforcement for quickly taking action against these serious threats and protecting our elected officials. Intimidation is never acceptable.”