DC pipe bomb suspect’s attorneys cite autism and OCD diagnosis in motion for pretrial release
WASHINGTON, DC: Brian Cole Jr, the Virginia man accused in the pipe bomb plot linked to events around January 6, 2021, is seeking a pre‑trial release from jail.
In new court filings, his defense attorneys have revealed details about his personal diagnoses. Cole Jr has been held in custody since his arrest on December 4, when authorities charged him with transporting an explosive device and attempting to maliciously destroy property using explosives.
These developments come as he continues to face serious federal charges in connection with the placement of explosive devices near Republican and Democratic national party headquarters in the capital.
Brian Cole Jr's lawyers say he does not pose a continuing threat to the public
Magistrate Judge Matthew Sharbaugh declined to rule on whether Cole Jr would be released Tuesday, December 30, telling both parties there were “important arguments under consideration.”
Cole Jr’s attorneys filed a motion seeking his release on Tuesday from detention while he awaits trial. The motion disclosed that he has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and obsessive‑compulsive disorder (OCD).
The filing characterized his condition as a mild form of autism. His attorneys further stated that the government has not provided any evidence indicating that he engaged in evasive behavior or resisted law enforcement.
They said that he does not pose a continuing threat to the public and is willing to follow all court-ordered rules.
His grandmother, Loretta Cole Donnettee, also testified Tuesday that she would be willing to take Cole Jr into her home for monitoring. She told the judge that her house was in a gated community and that there were cameras "everywhere."
His attorneys further claimed, "Cole Jr. has kept the same job with his family’s bail bonds business over several years and hasn’t moved or tried to flee."
Federal prosecutors’ position on Brian Cole Jr's release
"The government argues that Mr. Cole spent nearly five years trying to evade detection,” the filing stated, to which the attorneys responded, “Not true: Mr. Cole lived with his parents the entire time, never moved, and followed his same routine daily.”
In a motion filed Sunday, the federal prosecutors claimed that Cole Jr wore a mask and gloves the night he planted the bombs and cleaned them with disinfectant. They also stated that he performed factory resets on his phone over 900 times from December 2020 until his arrest.
They have asked a judge to keep Cole Jr in custody, claiming that he believed "extreme acts of violence” were justified due to his dislike of both political parties. The motion stated that Cole Jr told FBI agents that “something just snapped” after he had watched “everything getting worse.”
He targeted the Democratic and Republican parties because “they were in charge,” Cole Jr told agents, according to the government filing.
Prosecutors stated in the filing Sunday that Cole Jr told agents he believed it seemed like “something was wrong” with the election and that Trump supporters who thought the election was being “tampered with” should not be labeled “conspiracy theorists,” “bad people,” “Nazis,” or “fascists.”
