MONESSEN, Pa. — A Pennsylvania man has been ordered to stand trial on charges he threatened a judge by sending her a letter including a picture of movie cannibal Hannibal Lecter.
The Tribune-Review reported that 38-year-old Gregg Tchirkow said at Thursday's hearing that picture was a "cry for help" and a way to tell the court he needed psychiatric help when transitioning from prison to freedom. Lecter is the criminally insane psychiatrist in the film The Silence of the Lambs.
Westmoreland County Judge Meagan Bilik-Defazio sent Tchirkow to prison in 2015 for growing marijuana in his home. Prosecutors contend the letter was sent in retaliation and to terrorize the judge.
Tchirkow promised to fight the charges at trial, saying he knew he was "doomed from the beginning" because a judge is the alleged victim.