FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A woman accused of sending death threats to the father of a boy killed in the Sandy Hook school shooting told investigators she was motivated by anger after browsing websites that promote false conspiracy theories, prosecutors said.
At a hearing Monday in federal court in Fort Lauderdale, Lucy Richards, 57, of Brandon, pleaded not guilty to four charges of sending threats.
Richards used a walker and wore furry black house slippers, black pants and a flowery top in court. The former waitress, who said she has been unemployed since 2004, spoke in a soft voice and told the judge she is receiving Social Security disability assistance.
Richards was arrested Dec. 7 in the Tampa Bay area where she lives. She was charged with four federal felony counts of transmitting threats to Lenny Pozner, the father of 6-year-old Noah Pozner, who died in the 2012 mass shooting in Newtown, Conn. Pozner now lives in Palm Beach County.
After her arrest, Richards told agents she had been “looking at these sites about government hoaxes” and “got angry,” prompting her to send disturbing messages to one of the shooting victims’ parents, prosecutor Karen Gilbert told the judge.
Richards left three threatening voicemails for Pozner and sent him one emailed message, according to the filed charges.
“You gonna die, death is coming to you real soon,” was one of the voicemail messages left, according to prosecutors. And prosecutors said the emailed message included the words: “Look behind you it is death.”
Richards told the judge she has no computer but uses her cellphone to access the internet.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry Seltzer agreed to let Richards remain free on $25,000 bond. He also required her to get mental health treatment, if her pretrial release officer recommends it.
Richards also was ordered to stay off any websites that focus on alleged government hoaxes or that promote false conspiracy theories, while the charges are pending. She is also barred from contacting any victims linked to the Sandy Hook shootings.
Richards told the judge in court that she doesn’t know how to drive.
When the judge asked if she had any guns or weapons, she replied: “No, Your Honor, I’ve never touched or owned a gun.”
Richards’ lawyer, Assistant Federal Public Defender Michael Spivack, declined to comment after the hearing, citing an office policy that prohibits employees from commenting on pending cases.
Richards ignored questions from reporters as she left the courthouse. A man helped her into a wheelchair and escorted her to an SUV.
Several family members of people who were killed in the Sandy Hook massacre have reported harassment by conspiracy theorists, who claim the event was staged to try to erode support for Second Amendment gun rights.
Pozner established the HONR website, which uses a network of volunteers to report harassment on social media and flag hoax-related content that violates the terms of service for some websites.
“We need to band together as a community of caring individuals, and act to stop these abusers from inflicting any further harm to people who have committed no crime, and simply want to be left alone to grieve their loved ones and live out the rest of their lives in peace,” according to the website.