Story perspectives

Judge Dismisses Vandalism Charge Against Canoeist David Hearn

8/7/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the felony vandalism charge against canoeist David Hearn on Aug. 6, 2026.
Attorney Jeanine Pirro moved to drop the indictment, saying evidence shows a rushed contractor installation, not vandalism, damaged the Reflecting Pool.
U.S. Judge Todd Edelman postponed deciding whether the dismissal is with prejudice, leaving refiling possible.
U.S. President Donald Trump called Pirro “folded like an umbrella” and said vandals caused the damage.

History

Historical Context

On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh detonated a Ryder truck loaded with about 7,000 pounds of fertilizer at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, killing 168 people. The federal trial that began in 1997 featured over 100 witnesses and ended with McVeigh’s death sentence and Terry Nichols’s life term, cementing the case as the deadliest U.S. domestic terrorism incident.

1 of 2

Story summary

U.S. Judge Todd Edelman dismissed the felony vandalism charge against canoeist David Hearn on Aug. 6, 2026.
Attorney Jeanine Pirro moved to drop the indictment, saying evidence shows a rushed contractor installation, not vandalism, damaged the Reflecting Pool.
U.S. Judge Todd Edelman postponed deciding whether the dismissal is with prejudice, leaving refiling possible.
U.S. President Donald Trump called Pirro “folded like an umbrella” and said vandals caused the damage.

1 / 2