Michigan Church Attacker Is Said to Have Held a Grudge Against Mormons

[dalton99a]

Last edited Tue Sep 30, 2025, 09:04 AM - Edit history (3)

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/29/us/michigan-church-attack.html

https://archive.ph/91LqU

Michigan Church Attacker Is Said to Have Held a Grudge Against Mormons
Several friends and acquaintances of the man accused of attacking a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meetinghouse said he had long railed against the faith.
By Tim Arango, Anushka Patil and Thomas Fuller
Sept. 29, 2025

...

Peter Tersigni, who lives in Michigan, said he had known Mr. Sanford since preschool and called him his best friend. A four-year stint in the Marine Corps, including time in Iraq, changed his friend from the former class clown into a more serious person, Mr. Tersigni said.

But his time living in Utah and heavy use of methamphetamine appeared to change him more. There, he fell in love with a woman who was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the relationship ended painfully, his friend said.

From then on, Mr. Sanford had a problem with members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and wasn’t shy about sharing it, Mr. Tersigni and his twin brother, Francis Tersigni, recounted in separate interviews on Monday.

“He got this whole fascination with Mormons, and they are the Antichrist, and they are going to take over the world,” Francis Tersigni said. It even came up at Peter Tersigni’s wedding, his brother recalled. “All he could talk about was Mormons,” he said. “I was like, dude, nobody wants to hear about this stuff.”

Sandra Winter, 56, rented a room to Mr. Sanford in Jeremy Ranch, Utah, and also recalled that he had fallen in love with a woman who was an “extremely religious” member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and felt pressured to join.

“He wasn’t so sure that he wanted to become a member of the church,” Ms. Winter said. “But he really wanted to be with this woman.”

...

[H2O Man]

1. Recommended.

Thank you for this.

[lostnfound]

2. "But his time living in Utah and heavy use of methamphetamine appeared to change him more" buried in paragraph 6???

What the heck??? Why is heavy meth use not front and center??
Is it so common that it isn’t considered core to the story?? Buried in paragraph 6, without further comment??

And how has being a “heavy meth user” affected his being responsible for raising a kid?



By the way, this other article contains added detail that he sometimes substituted a “F*** Biden” flag for one of the two flags on the back of his truck. https://www.cnn.com/2025/09/28/us/thomas-sanford-michigan-shooting-suspect

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. I get the impression the meth use was around the time of his relationship with a Mormon

The meth use comes in the section of "after Iraq" and "living in Utah", from Peter Tersigni. His life in Michigan seems normal (though pro-Trump, anti-Biden) - working in the family business, caring for his child with a rare genetic disease - until he gets on the subject of Mormons, when he becomes unhinged.

[karynnj]

8. Great points

Another difference is that they don't see a political motive.

I agree that there was an anti Mormon motive, but I doubt it was the ONLY motive. The reason given, his breakup with a Mormon girl friend. was obviously years ago as he is married with a child. Some reports suggest when with the girlfriend, he actively sought to convert, but was angered because the Mormon church would have required getting rid of his tattoos.

The media was complicit in creating a narrative that Charlie Kirk was killed by the left, some like Stephen Miller actually saying Democrats. Yet the killer never voted nor did they cite any examples of activism. It is pretty likely that the ONLY issue he agrees with the left on is LBGTQ+.

In contrast, the Michigan killer drove around with an anti Biden flag and had a Trump sign. Unlike Robinson, he IS overtly partisan. Where the right has blamed us of using inflammatory language - calling some of them fascists, as they do fascist things, I seriously doubt a week has gone by without at least one hateful social media post by the President which is then repeated by the media. Could THAT anger have triggered the attack by an unstable man, who at least in the past used meth?

Consider that it mostly was Kimmel suggesting that Kirk's killer was not a leftist that led to their anger. It was important to their narrative that it be seen as their enemies killing the Christ like Kirk. Reality was far different, much of Kirk's own speech was hateful and the killer grew up in a very red, gun loving family.

[lostnfound]

9. Agreed,.and it's an Important narrative for them to bolster because there's constant examples to the contrary

Each case of a rightwing crazy committing murder threatens to disrupt the pretense that they are more moral or that it’s the left that is dangerous.

[Buckeyeblue]

3. W's Iraq War caused a severe mental trauma to a great deal of men and women

It's sad that many of these people are not getting the help they need. I'm sure pro-hate themes that the MAGA movement has embraced are harmful to people like this guy, who have mental trauma and other issues.

[Johnny2X2X]

4. This guy was in logistics

Never saw combat, he removed vehicles from roads. His team did take some gun fire one time though.

I'm sure it was still a very stressful job, but this guy wasn't a war fighter. He did a job in a war zone.

[muriel_volestrangler]

5. Your archive link in the OP seems to be from before the Tersigni and meth details were added

This one does have them: https://archive.ph/91LqU

[dalton99a]

6. +1