The local criminal case against 44-year-old Richard Tillman, the brother of the late former NFL player and Afghan War vet Pat Tillman, was officially dropped on Monday following a a bizarre crash into a San Jose post office in July.
We were already hearing that the mental competency of Richard Tillman was in question, following a strange incident on July 20 in which he apparently deliberately crashed his car into a San Jose post office, and it caught on fire. Now, as NBC Bay Area reports, the state has dropped its arson case against Tillman, given that he faces federal charges in the same incident.
Emily Lessard, deputy district attorney in Santa Clara County, said in a statement following a Monday hearing, "The case was dismissed in light of the federal prosecution for the same conduct. The goal is to ensure accountability while preserving judicial economy."
Tillman stands accused of driving his car, which was allegedly loaded with firestarter Insta-logs at the time, into the Almaden Valley post office in South San Jose around 3 am on July 20, and setting the building on fire.
Tillman may have also spraypainted the words "Viva La Me" on the outside of the building, and police said that he announced to them when they arrived that he was Pat Tillman's brother, and that he had been live-streaming the incident on social media.
Thankfully, no one was injured in the crash or subsequent fire.
Earlier this month, Tillman was charged in federal court with one count of malicious destruction of government property by fire, to which he pleaded not guilty last week, per the Chronicle.
Tillman, with long hair and a long gray beard and very fit physique, had been documenting his own mental health crisis in YouTube videos for about a year before the July crash, calling himself Yeshua Hamashiach and talking about the CIA being out to get him because he was Jesus Christ. He also, as a Redditor documented, talked about Taylor Swift being his "soulmate true love," and said that Travis Kelce was an Illuminati plant.
Just prior to the July incident, as the Chronicle notes, Tillman posted a video in which he said he needed to "take down the system," and said, "As far as the next phase of the game, I know what needs to be done."
The YouTube account was removed after the incident.
Tillman, who had once pursued a career in acting, has reportedly been in and out of mental institutions in recent years, and his family has acknowledged his struggles.
Previously: Brother of the Late NFL Star Pat Tillman Reportedly Arrested In San Jose After Fiery Post Office Car Crash
Photo via Richard Tillman/Facebook