James von Brunn, Holocaust Museum Shooter, Dies in Prison Hospital

James von Brunn, Holocaust Museum shooter, dies in North Carolina prison hospital.

James von Brunn, who was accused of a deadly shooting at Washington's Holocaust Memorial Museum died Wednesday in the hospital at Butner federal prison in North Carolina. You will recall that this madman was a white supremacist who, before the shooting, had written racist and anti-Semitic screeds on the Internet. According to the prison, he died shortly before 1 p.m. Von Brunn's lawyer said, in an interview with the Associated Press, the death was "a sad end to a tragic situation," but did not issue any further comments. The only sadness I see in this situation is that this man will not stand trial for what he did.

Von Brunn was awaiting trial for the killing of security guard Stephen T. Johns at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum on June 10. Officials at the prison had previously stated in media interviews that von Brunn, who had been wounded by return fire in the shooting, suffered from chronic medical problems, which had complicated a psychiatric evaluation for the suspect. I would say good riddance, but I had hoped he would have lived to stand trial for his horrific actions that led to the death of an innocent man.