In January 2024, 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks was preparing to transfer from community college to a four-year engineering program while simultaneously planning an assassination attempt on then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, which he would commit six months later. Crooks ordered nitromethane to design a bomb, and although his academic efforts were commendable, including high grades and a unique 3D-printed chessboard project for the visually impaired, he also displayed troubling behaviors, such as using his college email to inquire about his bomb materials. This juxtaposition of ambition and violence offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a young man who ultimately chose a path leading to tragedy.
