Gun buyer in massacre mused on Facebook of troubles he faced

(AP) -- Less than a month before his friend carried out the San Bernardino massacre, the man who bought the assault rifles used in the attack wondered when the multiple lives he was leading would come

News 12 Staff

Dec 18, 2015, 10:03 PM

Updated 3,050 days ago

Share:

Gun buyer in massacre mused on Facebook of troubles he faced
(AP) -- Less than a month before his friend carried out the San Bernardino massacre, the man who bought the assault rifles used in the attack wondered when the multiple lives he was leading would come crashing down.
"Involved in terrorist plots, drugs, anti-social behavior, marriage, might go to prison for fraud, etc," Enrique Marquez Jr. told someone in a Nov. 5 chat on Facebook described in a court document that foreshadowed the trouble he was facing before any bullets started flying.
Now he stands accused of terrorism-related charges and other counts that connect him to the the San Bernardino attack.
Marquez, 24, was charged Thursday with conspiring to provide material support to terrorists in deadly plots with Syed Rizwan Farook in 2011 and 2012 that they never carried out.
The duo, who had become adherents to radicalized Islam ideology as neighbors in Riverside, wanted to maximize carnage by using pipe bombs and guns to kill innocent people at a campus cafeteria and those stuck in rush hour traffic, court documents said.
Those plans may never have come to light if not for the attack where Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, used guns Marquez bought years ago to kill 14 people and wound 22 at a holiday meeting of Farook's health department co-workers.
Marquez was charged with illegally purchasing the rifles that the shooters used in the slaughter and were found with hours later after dying in a gunbattle with police.
In his initial court appearance, Marquez looked disheveled. His short hair flopped over his forehead, there was stubble on his face, and the pockets of his black pants were turned out. He appeared calm and showed no emotion as he gave one-word answers to the judge.
No plea was entered and he was ordered held until a bail hearing Monday in U.S. District Court. If convicted of all three counts, he could face up to 35 years in federal prison.
His public defender declined comment, though friends and family have described him as a good person who was easygoing and liked to party.
Marquez, a former licensed security guard, was working at a Riverside bar at the time of the shooting and is not alleged to have had a role in the attack.
But prosecutors said he was linked to the killings by the guns and explosive materials he bought years earlier. The couple used that material in a remote-controlled pipe bomb that never detonated at the conference room where the shootings occurred.
"His prior purchase of the firearms and ongoing failure to warn authorities about Farook's intent to commit mass murder had fatal consequences," U.S. Attorney Eileen Decker said.
A lengthy affidavit by FBI special agent Joel Anderson outlines evidence against Marquez, including statements he gave investigators over 11 days after he waived his rights to remain silent and be represented by a lawyer.
Attorney E. Martin Estrada, a former federal prosecutor in Los Angeles, said the admissibility of Marquez's statements to the FBI will likely be challenged by defense lawyers, but if the statements are allowed in court, they give prosecutors a very strong case because of corroborating evidence.
"This wasn't a conversation with an average Joe," Estrada said. "This was a conversation with a person that was capable and had the capacity and the intent to commit mass murder. That's pretty chilling."
The affidavit said Marquez called 911 hours after the attack to say his neighbor had used his gun in the shooting, using an expletive to describe Farook.
Marquez then showed up agitated at a hospital emergency room, saying he had downed nine beers and was "involved" in the shooting. He was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric ward.
Marquez lived next door to Farook, 28, who introduced him to Islam 10 years ago. Marquez told authorities he converted to Islam around age 16 and four years later was spending most of his time at Farook's home, reading, listening to and watching "radical Islamic content" that included al-Qaida instructions on how to make bombs.
Four years ago, Marquez said, he and Farook planned to toss pipe bombs into the cafeteria at Riverside Community College and then shoot people as they fled.
They also planned to throw pipe bombs on a busy section of freeway that has no exits, bringing traffic to a halt and then picking off motorists. Marquez would shoot from a nearby hillside, targeting police, as Farook fired at drivers from the road.
As part of the plan, Marquez bought two assault rifles -- in November 2011 and February 2012. He said he agreed to buy them because "Farook looked Middle Eastern."
Authorities previously said Marquez had legally purchased the guns Farook and Malik used. But the charges allege that Marquez lied by signing paperwork that said the guns were for himself or a family member.
The FBI has said Farook and Malik, 29, were radicalized before they met online in 2013, but the court documents show Farook had turned down the path to violent plots much earlier.
Marquez said he and Farook aborted their plans after authorities interrupted a terror plot in the area in November 2012 that involved four men who wanted to join either the Taliban or al-Qaida fighting U.S. forces overseas.
He said they didn't see much of each other after it unraveled, though he deepened his connection with the Farook family, marrying the Russian sister of the wife of Farook's brother last year.
Prosecutors said it was a sham marriage to help the woman obtain U.S. residency.
According to the affidavit, Marquez was paid $200 per month for the union and said his own mother and brother didn't know about it.
When his mother visited him at the hospital two days later after the shootings, her son again referred to Syed Rizwan Farook by an expletive and said he did not know "he was going to do that," Anderson said in the affidavit. Marquez also said he no longer wanted Farook as a friend.
___
Melley reported from Los Angeles. Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Eric Tucker and Tami Abdollah in Washington, and Amanda Lee Myers in San Bernardino.


More from News 12
2:29
Traffic delays and road closures expected as Irvington set to host President Joe Biden today

Traffic delays and road closures expected as Irvington set to host President Joe Biden today

1:45
Sunny and pleasant today, freeze warnings overnight

Sunny and pleasant today, freeze warnings overnight

1:07
Schools in Westchester County announce early dismissals ahead of President Biden's visit

Schools in Westchester County announce early dismissals ahead of President Biden's visit

New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial

New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial

1:53
Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

Shop Mother’s Day Gifts – Exclusive Offers Up to 75% OFF!

0:24
Breeze Airways expands services from Westchester County Airport

Breeze Airways expands services from Westchester County Airport

Vote 2024: Ask your questions for Congressional District 16 Democratic candidates

Vote 2024: Ask your questions for Congressional District 16 Democratic candidates

1:47
Saddle up for a western-style riding adventure at Hollow Brook Riding Academy!

Saddle up for a western-style riding adventure at Hollow Brook Riding Academy!

0:27
Oklahoma woman pleads guilty in fatal Newburgh drunk driving crash

Oklahoma woman pleads guilty in fatal Newburgh drunk driving crash

0:45
Yonkers officer faces charges in off-duty Bronxville accident

Yonkers officer faces charges in off-duty Bronxville accident

0:21
Dutchess County drivers awarded free cars after completing empowerment program

Dutchess County drivers awarded free cars after completing empowerment program

0:35
20 Hudson Valley public high schools among top 100 in New York state

20 Hudson Valley public high schools among top 100 in New York state

1:09
Headlines: Burglary guilty plea, illegal AR-15 possession, library larceny

Headlines: Burglary guilty plea, illegal AR-15 possession, library larceny

0:17
St. Barnabas High School marks 100 years of education at New Rochelle gala

St. Barnabas High School marks 100 years of education at New Rochelle gala

0:27
Manhattan College and Rockland Community College partnership allows seamless student transfers

Manhattan College and Rockland Community College partnership allows seamless student transfers

0:25
Orangeburg students crowned winners of entrepreneurship competition

Orangeburg students crowned winners of entrepreneurship competition

0:26
Luxury VIP experience coming to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets

Luxury VIP experience coming to Woodbury Common Premium Outlets

0:26
Westchester County DA candidate William Wagstaff secures spot on Democratic primary ballot

Westchester County DA candidate William Wagstaff secures spot on Democratic primary ballot

2:27
How to protect spring plants from frost and freeze

How to protect spring plants from frost and freeze

0:22
Police: 29-year-old man dies after burning incident at Warwick Park

Police: 29-year-old man dies after burning incident at Warwick Park