The terrorist next door

The FBI has arrested one Chad Castagana, 39, on the charge of sending death threats and letters containing a white powder (obviously meant to be taken as anthrax) to various individuals, including Keith Olbermann, Nancy Pelosi, David Letterman and Jon Stewart.

A Democratic Underground poster nicknamed "morgan2" uncovered what I consider conclusive evidence that Castagana was a frequent Free Republic poster, using the name Marc Costanzo. (Raw Story has more here.) A Daily Kos writer has uncovered another nomme-de-net, Jeff Costigan (see here). Castagana appears to be an electrician and a science fiction buff.

On Free Republic, Castagana/Costanzo often sung the praises of Ann Coulter and Michelle Malkin, and he displayed a worshipful attitude toward Katherine Harris, whom he considered highly attractive. Hispanics with poor English skills infuriated him. (I'm reminded of my great-grandfather, an Italian immigrant, who spent years in this country speaking irreparably broken English.) Castagana lives in Woodland Hills, California, a Los Angeles suburb where Spanish is not often heard.

He signed off one post by proclaiming himself "a serial killer always."

He also may have offered public commentary on his own crimes. When Olbermann received fake anthrax, Castagana/Costanzo posted the following:

Not to make light of the situation, but drama queen Olbermann put on quite a production even after he'd been told the powder was harmless and checked out by doctors and told he was fine. He demanded that he be rushed to the hospital for more tests. I wouldn't be even remotely surprised if he mailed it to himself. I've never seen someone more desperate for attention and approval. I heard from a liberal blog that Olbermann was a prima donna at the hospital, giving the medical staff and the cops a hard time. Keith is a whiny little b@tch! Accepting that, I do not believe he sent it to himself. But that is just guess work.

I had planned to write about this matter at a later time after conducting some personal investigation; alas, my work schedule may not permit me to do any first-hand digging. As noted, Castagana lives in Woodland Hills, not far from my own home.

Based on my very preliminary research, I have found indications that Castagana may have inhabited a home owned by a 106 year old woman named Geneva Castagana. The house is, as locals say, "south of the boulevard," which means that the surrounding neighborhood is quite nice. One internet source describes Chad as living with his parents, while another quotes a neighbor who describes him as "lonely." Based on this information (and presuming it to be accurate), one may fairly posit that the unmarried and perhaps virginal Castagana lived at home with his parents and helped take care of an aged grandmother. Restricted by his family duties and his social awkwardness, he took comfort in science fiction, dreams of Katherine Harris, and visions of revenge on his perceived oppressors.

I wonder how many other Free Republic posters have a similar backstory?

Here's the kicker: One D.U. commenter indicates that Castagana may have written much of his Freeper material while in the Woodland Hills library (although the time stamps for some posts place them outside the hours of operation). During the first months of this blog's existence, I did much of my writing on public computers -- including the ones in that very library. I have yet to see video of Castagana; perhaps I'll recognise the face. What if we sat at adjoining desks...?

A grim thought. I hope I have served my cause my honorably than he served his.