Criminal Court Clerk’s office confirms the letters wre written by a man who has been in custody since May 2024.
Image: The Ben West and Justice A.A. Birch Buildings. Image Credit: Martin B. Cherry / Nashville Banner
This story was originally published by the Nashville Banner. Sign up for their newsletter.
by Steven Hale & David Boclair, [The Nashville Banner, Creative Commons] –
The Metro Nashville Police Department is investigating threats against four female judges allegedly made by a man locked up in the local jail.
The threats were made in letters that arrived at the Justice A.A. Birch Building last month along with piles of other mail sent to Nashville’s criminal courthouse. MNPD spokesperson Don Aaron confirmed to the Banner that the Security Threat Section of the department’s Specialized Investigations Division is investigating the threats. He said the correspondence also included threats against President Donald Trump, the details of which were forwarded to the U.S. Secret Service. Aaron declined to provide any further information, as the case remains active.
Davidson County Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry told the Banner on Tuesday that the same man had already sent numerous letters to courthouse officials. But the threats began arriving at the courthouse on June 24 and went through the normal mail screening and sorting process. The courthouse receives “tons of letters” and other mail, Gentry said, often including correspondence that “doesn’t make any sense.” In this case, though, the messages were more alarming.
On June 26, Gentry said, his office was informed that the letters included threats against three criminal court judges — Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton, Judge Khadija Babb, and Judge Cynthia Chappell — along with General Sessions Judge Ana Escobar. The judges declined the Banner’s requests for comment, but courthouse officials said they were cooperating with the MNPD investigation.
A day later, Gentry said, Chief Deputy Criminal Court Clerk Julius Sloss met with three of those judges to inform them of the threats and scheduled a meeting with Escobar, who was out of the office at the time. The same day, Gentry said Sloss notified the Davidson County Sheriff’s office of the threats, since the man allegedly behind them is in their custody. The DCSO subsequently informed the MNPD.
Sloss said the man has been incarcerated since May 2024.
“It doesn’t lessen the importance of informing [law enforcement and the judges],” Gentry said. “It does speak to his ability to carry it out.”
He added later, “It is serious and we take it all seriously.”
Gentry said that courthouse security officials had also been informed of the threatening letters but that he was not aware of any changes to security at the building.
****UPDATE***
INDICTMENT ISSUED: Metro Nashville Police on Wednesday charged Phaitoon Sean Viryasiri, an inmate in the Davidson County Jail, for sending threatening letters to four Nashville judges.
Viryasiri, 50, was charged with a Class E felony for threatening Criminal Court Judge Khadija Babb with retaliation for decisions made when he was a defendant in her court.
He was also charged with Class A misdemeanor for harassing threats in 17 letters sent to Babb, Criminal Court Judge Angelita Blackshear Dalton, Criminal Court Judge Cynthia Chappell, and General Sessions Court Judge Ana Escobar.
All of those letters were sent between June 20 and 30 and contained threats against President Donald Trump.
MNPD notified the U.S. Secret Service of the mentions of the president.
Viryasiri has been in jail since last October for probation violations related to felony assault and burglary convictions.
One Response
A definite dimmercrap.