A former congressional candidate from Palm Beach County is facing criminal charges in Broward County. Elijah Manley, 27, faces two counts of written threats to kill or do bodily injury, according to court documents.
A Broward County Sheriff’s Office report says the posts appeared on Facebook on Aug. 20, two days after Manley lost the Democratic primary in Florida’s 20th Congressional District. Some of the posts were partially redacted by the sheriff’s office. One warned that the author would “burn y’all mf castle to the ground” to anyone in the way. Another said anyone who did not back the Democratic nominee for Senate would be harmed.
One of the victims copied the posts before they were deleted and gave them to investigators. A person who reported the comments told deputies she felt threatened and said Manley had visited her home for political fundraisers. Two other people told deputies they took the word “castle” to mean he intended to come to their homes. Facebook told them the posts did not violate its safety guidelines for removal.
WPLG-TV reported that Manley was released from the Broward County Jail on Saturday, Oct. 17, after posting a $40,000 bond.
The case comes after a redistricting map signed into law in May reshaped the 20th District, which once reached into Palm Beach County communities such as Belle Glade, West Palm Beach and Riviera Beach. The district now covers only part of Broward County.
