Overview
- Federal prosecutors charged Alden Welch Ruml, 26, with transmitting a threat in interstate commerce after his March 13 arrest in Cambridge.
- Ruml pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court in Boston and faces up to five years in prison if convicted.
- Court records quote the email as saying he would be "happy" when Alexis Wilkins’ face is "canoed by an assault rifle," ending with "Watch your back."
- An FBI affidavit says Wilkins was in Arizona when she received the message, reported feeling frightened, and changed upcoming travel plans.
- Investigators traced the anonymized iCloud email to Ruml, who told agents he was upset by a Feb. 28 news article about Wilkins’ security; he was released on personal recognizance with mandated mental-health counseling.