Nicholas Rose, 26, is accused of making “kill lists” of prominent members of the Jewish community. Image by Orange County Police Department

By Aiden Pink April 22, 2018

A southern California man has been charged with hate crimes after prosecutors say he had “kill lists” of prominent members of the Jewish community in his home.

Nicholas Wesley Rose, 26, pleaded not guilty on Thursday to making criminal threats and violating civil rights, with hate crime enhancements.

A family member had called the police on Monday and reported that Rose wanted to kill others, specifically mentioning Jews, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office said.

Antisemitism Notebook

Your weekly guide through the news and the noise of how rising antisemitism and disputes over how to address it are shaping American Jewish life.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Police arrested him on Tuesday after allegedly finding .22-caliber ammunition, “kill lists” of prominent local Jews (including well-known members of the entertainment industry), a set of steps in a list called “killing my first Jew,” and references to local houses of worship, including a synagogue.

“From his writings it’s hard tell exactly what direction he’s going in or who he was angry with,” prosecutor Jeff Moore told the Orange County Register. “He was apparently displeased with some churches that he thought were sympathetic to the Jewish cause.”

Rose faces up to 6 1/2 years in prison. His next court appearance is Friday.

Contact Aiden Pink at [email protected] or on Twitter, @aidenpink

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount