Illinois man charged with threatening to kill Peggy Flanagan after her posts about Annunciation Church shooting

An Illinois man has been charged with threatening Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan after she posted on Twitter/X about the mass shooting at Annunciation Church.

Caden J Sluder, 22, faces one count of threats of violence. He is charged via warrant since he lives in Illinois.

According to the criminal complaint, investigators were notified of the threats on Aug. 27. Flanagan made several posts on social media offering condolences to the Annunciation community and thanking first responders.

After those posts were made, an account responded to Flanagan’s posts several times, calling for her to be killed.

The Minnesota BCA traced the account to Sluder using the IP address.

An investigator called Sluder and asked him about the threats. According to court documents, Sluder said the threats were a joke and that “I’m not actually gonna [expletive] do anything. I’m not crazy.”

He added that he was “pissed off” that Christians were killed by a trans person and referenced a “Protect Trans Kids” shirt Flanagan was photographed wearing, court documents state.

The posts were reportedly made from Sluder’s “throwaway” account, which he said was already taken down.

Sluder told investigators he had no intention of traveling to Minnesota to harm Flanagan and that he was just “making a joke, was very frustrated, and expressed his freedom of speech.” He also apologized several times, according to court documents.

Editor’s note: This article previously stated that Flanagan wore the shirt a few months ago. A member of her staff says she wore the shirt in 2023.
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