He threatened to kill an LGBTQ+ person for appearing on TV. Now he’s paying the price.

A man in San Diego was arrested and charged on Tuesday for threatening to kill a member of the LGBTQ+ community after they spoke in a TV news segment about a woman who was murdered last year for displaying a rainbow flag.

The unnamed LGBTQ+ community member had been interviewed in a TV news segment about the murder of Laura Ann Carleton, a 66-year-old mother of nine who was a prominent ally to the LGBTQ+ community. The man who killed her last August, Travis Ikeguchi, had made homophobic remarks before tearing down a Pride pride flag she had hanging in front of her business. Ikeguchi was later gunned down by police. Friends and neighbors grieved and memorialized Carleton as a caring and active part of the local community.

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Loving mother murdered by man who hated her Pride flag

“If people don’t think anti-gay & trans rhetoric isn’t dangerous, think again.”

After seeing the person speaking on the TV news segment about Carleton, George Joseph Wellinger II, 48, allegedly sent an email to the person, calling them “another alphabet clown that wants to take a dirt nap, too.”

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“We know what you look like and know where are you are … only a matter of time … we coming for ur rainbow azz. Click Click!!!!” Wellinger’s email reportedly said.

The indictment called Wellinger’s email a confirmed hate crime that targeted the victim because of their sexual orientation.

A judge issued a $50,000 bond for Wellinger, and he was ordered to stay under lockdown at home under electronic surveillance.

“Hate crimes are designed (to) terrify both the victim and the community,” U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in a statement. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office works tirelessly on prosecuting these cases to send our own message: San Diego is no place for hate.”

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