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'They all need to die': Death threats against LGBTQ+ people, Whitmer lead investigators to Michigan man

By Amber Ainsworth
Published  March 10, 2023 1:56pm EST
Crime and Public Safety
FOX 2 Detroit

Michigan man charged with threatening to kill government officials on YouTube

A Michigan man is accused of threatening to kill Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the LGBTQ+ community, and other democratic leaders in hateful comments he posted on YouTube.

HURON COUNTY, Mich. (FOX 2) - A Michigan man is facing weapons charges after threats to kill Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and LGBTQ+ people led investigators to him.

According to an affidavit, a YouTube account belonging to Randall Robert Berka II's mother Michelle Berka was used to post these comments (note: these comments are written as they appeared and have not been edited):

  • "trans freaks and gays lgbt freaks thery all need tot die and be genocided its all I tal kabotu aymore is wanting to kill trans freakswhen I finally get cancer"
  • "im going to kill these democrats biden deserves to die"
  • "I bought my gun in 556 so when it gets sued on a drag show or tranny blub it goes through a bunch of the and rips the whole crown of freaks apar".
  • "im gonna kill lgbt freaks and same America"
  • "you could be like me and get guns and threaten to kill politicians. Im more than willing tot kill whitmer and I do live in Michigan. Ill assault her ugly face with my bullets. She was never s assaulted shes too ugly for it. She let herself be a p hole for the WEF"
  • "I don’t work I refuse to i buy guns though and plot to kill people in dc openly (explicit) the feds ill shoot the fbi if they ever show up"
  • "we have to kill the politicians theres nothing wrong with righteous violence and death"
  • "I can, I have guns and ill kill lgbt freaks and democrat polioticians"
  • "(explicit) the feds if fbi ever shows up to talk tot me ill just shoot at them"
  • "laws are meant to be broken I was in a nuthouse many tiems against my will and I have several firearms they’ll have to kill em to take em"
  • "democrats need to be shot and die"
  • "queers need to die"
  • "if I ever have to work wit ha tranny freak im going to kill it they don’t deserve to live and should be killed indiscriminately and never forgiven".
  • "hey fbi! My name is randall the 2nd and I live in sebewaing Michigan and I am willing to kill these people, (explicit) it I don’t care, (explicit) the feds, (explicit) them. Im not mentally ill for needing to be violent towards these people, call the ccops, (explicit) them. Ill shoot them too. I’ll kill anyone who tries to take my guns. ANYONE. I AM DONE. TRY TO CONFISCATE THEM FROM ME AND I WILL KILL."

These comments were made between Feb. 18 and March 7, and on March 7, the YouTube account name was "kill all federal agents on sight and hang biden."

Investigators discovered that Michelle lived in Huron County. They saw that Randall Berka also lived there, and the FBI conducted a background check. 

The check showed that Randall was involuntarily committed to mental health treatment in 2012. He was determined to be legally incapacitated, and his father was appointed to be his legal guardian, the affidavit said. Because of this, he cannot have firearms.

FBI database checks found that Randall's father had firearms registered to the home.

After these checks, federal agents said they interviewed Michelle at her job. She confirmed that her son had been involuntarily committed for mental health treatment and said he had been medicated voluntarily since then. 

Investigators also learned that within the past year, Michelle had bought three long guns and a handgun for her son, who is not allowed to have them due to his mental health issues. According to the affidavit, Randall has ammunition and body armor, and he has shot the weapons.

Randall is now charged with prohibited person in possession of a firearm.

Michelle also told agents that she was scared of her son, did not think treatment is working, and believes he should be arrested.

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