Sacramento man charged in connection with threats sent to church, TV station, prosecutor

A Sacramento man was charged with multiple counts of making threats, staging hoaxes involving biological weapons and identity theft after allegedly sending letters to an elected official, a church and a local news outlet.

Darnell Ray Owens, 32, is accused of using other people’s return addresses to send multiple threatening letters, including two that contained white powder, according to a news release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California.

One letter sent on July 10, 2018 was addressed to a Dallas church pastor and read, “I will assassinate your pastor in the name of Allah, I will burn down Christian churches … This is a threat,” according to the release.

Another letter sent on Oct. 20, 2018 was mailed to FOX 40 KTXL in Sacramento, threatening to kill four employees and saying “Allah has commanded me to burn down the news station with fire and murder anyone who comes out with a gun … This is a threat and a promise,” according to the release.

A third letter, mailed on March 14, 2019, was addressed to an elected official in Sacramento and read, “I knew you was going to not charge those corrupt racist cops. You have failed this city and the people. So I am making a threat on your life, I will assassinate you with a bullet to your head, you will not survive I will watch your body shake as the life in you leaves,” according to the release.

On March 2, Sacramento County District Attorney Anne Marie Schubert announced she would not be pressing charges against the two Sacramento police officers who shot and killed Stephon Clark in 2018.

The letter sent to the Dallas church and a letter sent to the Sacramento County Department of Revenue Recovery contained white powder, according to the release.

Owens faces up to five years in prison for each count of threats and hoaxes and a mandatory two-year sentence for each count of identity theft, plus a $250,000 fine. He was charged with seven counts total, according to the release.