LUBBOCK, TX – A 37-year-old Lubbock man was found guilty last week after federal prosecutors said he posted violent threats targeting Secret Service agents and their families in an online tirade earlier this year.
Tristan Rene Langston was convicted Thursday by a federal jury of two counts: transmitting threats in interstate commerce and threatening a federal law enforcement officer. The verdict followed a four-day trial in U.S. District Court.
According to trial evidence, Langston posted a threatening message on February 21 to X.com (formerly Twitter), writing that he intended to invoke the Second Amendment and “slit the throats of agents and their families.” The threats were directed at two specific U.S. Secret Service agents who had investigated Langston in 2023.
Jurors were shown online posts, videos, and notes stored on Langston’s phone in which he repeatedly referenced the agents and expressed resentment. The government argued the threats were made deliberately and intended to intimidate in retaliation for the earlier investigation.
Prosecutors stated the messages were not hyperbole but “true threats” that federal agents were likely to take seriously, especially given the context and Langston’s long-term fixation on the individuals.
Langston now faces sentencing on the federal charges. A date has not yet been announced.
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Key Points
- Tristan Langston was convicted of threatening to kill Secret Service agents and their families
- The threats were posted online in February and linked to a prior investigation into Langston
- Jurors reviewed posts, videos, and cellphone notes showing long-standing hostility toward agents