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ARLINGTON, Va. (7News) — A Rockville, Maryland, man accused of plotting to kill a presidential appointee involved in Project 2025 kept digital notes labeled “Dad’s Gun Stash” and “Body Disposal Guide,” according to a criminal complaint.
Law enforcement sources tell ABC News Colin Demarco, 26, targeted Russell Vought, the director of the Office of Management and Budget, and a key architect of Project 2025, a conservative policy blueprint for a second Trump administration. The document proposes sweeping changes to the federal government, including dismantling certain agencies.
The criminal complaint does not name Vought directly, referring instead to the intended victim as a presidential appointee who helped create Project 2025.
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Demarco went to the appointee’s home in Arlington County in August, wearing a surgical mask and rubber gloves and appearing to conceal a firearm, according to the criminal complaint from an Arlington County police detective. Demarco later left after asking a neighbor whether anyone was home, and the neighbor contacted the police, the document states.
The U.S. Marshals Service later identified Demarco and questioned him.
Digital Records
Arlington County police searched Demarco’s digital records, including the Notes section of his iCloud account.
One note, labeled “Dad’s Gun Stash,” lists items authorities believe were at his home, including a .357 Magnum revolver and ammo, according to the criminal complaint.
“I could PROBABLY use the revolver the easiest after all is said and done,” the complaint states the note includes. “Would need to find pockets deep enough to disguise it for concealed-carrying. May need a silencer for it if I can find one, or use a pistol of some kind.”
According to the court document, in the note labeled “Body Disposal Guide” that was last modified February 2025, tips were listed, including:
Investigators uncovered other notes, including one titled “Riot Options,” which stated physical fighting must only be done for self-defense, according to the criminal complaint.
The complaint also alleges Demarco sent messages on the chat platform Discord in the days leading up to the incident, asking at least three people whether they would be willing to take what he called the “Luigi approach.” The reference was to Luigi Mangione, who is accused of killing the CEO of UnitedHealthcare.
“Are you willing to put your livelihood on the line and seek out the guy’s house to Luigi him,” the complaint states Demarco’s username asks another user in one example.
U.S. Marshals Service Interview
The criminal complaint states the victim is under the protection of the United States Marshals Service, partly “due to ongoing threats and abuse” directed at him, “by subjects both known and unknown.”
When questioned by U.S. Marshals nearly a week after the Discord messages were sent, and after waiving his right to an attorney, the court document states that Demarco praised Mangione as a “working class dream” who had the “guts” to do what others would not.
Initially, Demarco denied going to the home but later admitted he believed someone associated with Project 2025 lived there and said he wanted to confront the person but not harm anyone, according to the complaint. He denied carrying a weapon.
The complaint states Demarco told authorities the November 2024 election was “the lowest point in his life, for he feared impending war and a fascist takeover.”
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Court records also indicate Demarco has a history of mental illness. He was taken into custody in Rockville under an emergency petition in November 2024, days after the presidential election, according to the criminal complaint.
Demarco is being held without bond. He is scheduled to return to court for a preliminary hearing on February 23.
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