California man charged with hate crimes over threats to Jews

IRVINE, California — A Southern California man pleaded not guilty Thursday to hate crimes after prosecutors said he threatened prominent members of the Jewish community and had a “kill list” that included the names of people in the entertainment industry.

Nicholas Rose of Irvine pleaded not guilty to making criminal threats and violating civil rights, with sentencing enhancements for hate crimes.

It’s unclear whether the 26-year-old has an attorney. He has a court appearance set for April 27.

A family member called the Orange Police Department on Monday and reported that Rose said he wanted to kill people and specifically threatened the Jewish community, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

Police arrested Rose at his home Tuesday after saying they found “kill lists” of prominent Jewish community members, steps titled “killing my first Jew,” as well as references to churches and a synagogue in the area.

He also had .22-caliber ammunition, prosecutors said.

Prosecutor Jeff Moore told the Orange County Register that the kill lists included some well-known names in the entertainment industry and that everyone named has been alerted.

He said investigators were reviewing Rose’s writings, which he described as rambling.

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