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The man charged with attempted murder after allegedly attacking and critically injuring the owner of the iconic “Trump House” in southern California on Wednesday is a Navy veteran suffering from mental illness, according to a friend, while the victim’s wife says she doesn’t expect her husband to survive.
Thomas Caleb Butler, 32, is currently being held without bail in the Vista Detention Facility in San Diego County. A friend of Butler’s told the California Post that he didn’t know why Butler attacked 69-year-old homeowner Kerry Sheron, but that he was taking medication for mental illness.
“This is the guy that plays with Legos and Star Wars stuff,” Butler’s friend reportedly said.
His medications were failing, and his conditions were deteriorating, according to the friend, and after his time in the Navy, he was unemployed.
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The friend also reportedly said that Butler “sits in his room and thinks everyone is coming to get him.”
Sheron’s property was adorned in American flags and pro-Trump paraphernalia, which for years caused neighbors and residents to sometimes complain about the display. His property has also been subject to vandalism.
Around 2:15 p.m. Wednesday, Escondido, California police officers responded to reports of an assault at the intersection of East Mission Avenue and Buchanan Street, adjacent to the “Trump House.”
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They found a man, later identified as Sheron, “suffering from significant injuries,” and police said that a bystander who intervened during the alleged attack was also injured.
Butler fled the scene but was tracked down by police shortly thereafter.
Sheron is currently in intensive care, and his wife, Maria Garcia, told The Post that she doesn’t expect her husband to survive.
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She thinks the attack was politically motivated.
“He tried to kill my husband, you know,” she told CBS 8. “It’s terrible. I don’t know what kind of hate… what heart, the black heart.”
“They don’t like the flags. I don’t know why. I support America. My husband is [a] veteran,” she said.
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Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., called for a “full and immediate investigation” on his X account, adding that President Trump’s supporters are “routinely the victims of leftist violence all across the country.”
Fox News’ Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.
