A California man was arrested for sending more than 200 emails harassing a Long Island native who became a gun control advocate after his daughter was murdered in a school shooting, according to reports and court records.
James Catalano pleaded not guilty July 22 in Miami federal court to a charge of cyberstalking, court records show. The victim was identified in court documents as “F.G.,” but Fred Guttenberg confirmed that the initials are his, according to The Daily Beast, which first reported the story. Gutenberg’s daughter was among 17 people killed when a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. on February 14, 2018.
“We are having a party every night of this fantastic Parkland trial,” Catalano allegedly wrote to Guttenberg, according to court documents. “So glad to celebrate blood and death.”
The months of emails had been continuing as Nikolas Cruz, who pleaded guilty to committing the massacre, is facing a trial in which jurors will decide if he should face the death penalty. The trial has been harrowing for the victims’ families, as details of their deaths have been described in detail in open court for the first time.
In his alleged harassment, 61-year-old Catalano of Fresno, Calif. called Guttenberg’s daughter a whore, human waste, and said she’s in hell, among a long list of other offensive descriptions of a murder victim, records show. Catalano also baselessly accused Guttenberg of molesting his daughter, the documents show.
“God bless President Trump,” he said in one. “Fuck joe biden.”
An attorney for Catalano could not be reached. Catalano faces up to five years in prison, if convicted.
