A criminal trial is set to start in federal court for a northeastern Kansas man charged with threatening to kill a state congressman.

 

The start of 32-year-old Chase Neill's trial was to come weeks after a judge concluded evidence of mental illness didn’t mean Neill can’t help his attorney or follow what happens in court. Federal prosecutors argue in court documents that the Lawrence, Kansas, resident developed a fixation on Republican Rep. Jake LaTurner of eastern Kansas. Neill is accused of threatening to kill LaTurner in a June 5 voicemail message left at LaTurner’s office and continuing to make threatening calls the following day.

 

LaTurner was a Kansas state senator and state treasurer before winning his U.S. House seat in 2020. Until the Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature redrew political boundaries last year, LaTurner's eastern Kansas district included Neill's hometown of Lawrence.