Alabama Man Drives 2000 Miles With A Chilling Mission

We now know more about the Alabama man who drove to California claiming to be the "Angel of Death'. 38-year-old Joshua Michael Richardson, also known as Joshua Michael Jericho, is from Jemison in Chilton County. He drove more than 2,000 miles to Orange County California, some 50 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles, after sending emails to St. Michael’s Abbey in mid-August referring to himself as the “rider of a pale horse,” an apparent reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the Book of Revelation.

During his arraignment in Orange County Court, District Attorney Todd Spitzer told the court that Richardson (Jerico) threatened to "do the Lord’s reaping before his harvest" at the church.

In a second email the Alabamian warned that he would be traveling to California soon. He arrived on Tuesday, August 26 at St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado Canyon. After attending afternoon services, the DA's office told the court the man followed the priest into a private area and told him he came to, "Do the Lord’s work, to separate the weak from the weeds, and that he rode his white pale horse from Alabama."

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It is thought that St. Michael's Abby was targeted because it is one of the few churches in the nation that still practices Michaelmas," the DA's court statement said, referring to the Christian celebration signifying the end of harvest. The man has claimed to be Saint Michael.

The complaint submitted by the DA's office stated Richardson's actions were "carried out with planning, sophistication and professionalism" as he "drove from Alabama to the victim church to reiterate threats he had made via email."

He was arrested in Santa Monica two days later at another Catholic Church and one day after a gunman opened fire during mass at a Catholic school near Minneapolis, killing two schoolchildren and injuring 21 people. He was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Orange County Jail.

After his arrest investigators found body armor, high-capacity magazines, brass knuckles, stun guns, a sword, rope, knives and walkie talkies in his vehicle. No actual guns were recovered in the search.

Bail was set at $50,000 during his first court appearance on September 2nd.

The suspect's family has refused to comment publicly so far.