Hammer-Wielding ‘Trans’ Person Pleads Guilty to Attacking JD Vance’s Home

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The hammer-wielding suspect accused of smashing windows at Vice President J.D. Vance’s Cincinnati home and damaging a federal law enforcement vehicle has pleaded guilty to federal charges.

William D. DeFoor, 26, entered guilty pleas to engaging in acts of physical violence against government officials and willfully damaging US property, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Ohio.

The case stems from an incident at Vance’s Ohio residence, where authorities said DeFoor breached the area surrounding the property while armed with a hammer.

Vance and his family were in Washington, D.C., at the time and were not injured.

Secret Service agents encountered DeFoor during the early morning hours after authorities said he ran along the front fence of the vice president’s property.

Authorities said DeFoor also refused law enforcement commands to drop the weapon.

Federal prosecutors estimated that approximately $28,000 in damage was caused to government-owned property during the incident.

US Attorney Dominick S. Gerace II condemned the conduct following the announcement of DeFoor’s guilty plea.

“Acts of violence directed against our political leaders, their families, or property, have no place in our society and will not be tolerated,” Gerace said.

“Our elected leaders, at all levels of government, must be permitted to carry out their duties free from threats, vandalism, and other forms of violence,” he continued.

Gerace added that individuals who jeopardize that freedom through “violent, destructive actions” will be “vigorously prosecuted.”

DeFoor’s attorneys, however, have maintained that the incident was not motivated by politics and had “nothing to do with the specifics of the vice president.”

Instead, his legal team has pointed to DeFoor’s history of mental illness, including a schizophrenia diagnosis and previous treatment at psychiatric facilities.

His mother, Catherine DeFoor, previously described her child’s struggles with mental illness, saying the condition can consume the life of an individual as well as affect those attempting to support them.

“Unfortunately for our child, it has taken over his life in a way that we can never have imagined,” she said.

DeFoor had encountered the legal system before the incident at Vance’s residence.

In 2023, he faced a trespassing charge involving the University of Cincinnati Health Psychiatric Emergency Services. A court later found him incompetent to stand trial, and the case was dismissed.

The following year, DeFoor was charged with two counts of vandalism after breaking windows at a local business and was ordered to undergo treatment.

His mother was later granted legal guardianship after he was found incompetent because of mental illness.

Defense attorneys previously attempted to secure DeFoor’s release from federal custody while the Vance case remained pending.

They characterized the incident as property damage committed by a person experiencing an ongoing mental health crisis rather than an attack carried out by an inherently violent individual.

“These circumstances are only noteworthy for one reason; it just so happens that this occurred at the home of the Vice President,” his attorneys argued.

The defense further argued that DeFoor had used a hammer to damage a home and vehicle while experiencing a mental health crisis and said the conduct should be considered in that context, per Trending Politics.

The source also reported that DeFoor appeared to have transitioned to female and used the name Julia, citing earlier reporting from the Daily Mail. A Facebook profile bearing the name Julia DeFoor was reportedly created roughly one month before the incident.

DeFoor’s attorneys said he had previously stabilized while receiving treatment and began pursuing a bachelor’s degree before his symptoms returned in December 2025.

US District Judge Douglas R. Cole previously rejected a request to allow DeFoor to await trial at his parents’ home, leaving him in federal detention.

The US Attorney’s Office said DeFoor’s sentencing hearing will be scheduled at a later date.

While the source headline states that DeFoor faces 20 years, the body of the report says the maximum potential prison sentence for the offenses is 10 years.