Fort Worth man charged with making terroristic threats towards James Talarico
FORT WORTH, Texas - A Fort Worth man who allegedly sent threatening messages to U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico is now facing a criminal charge.
Terroristic threats towards James Talarico
Billy James McFatridge
What we know:
Billy James McFatridge was arrested on Aug. 25 and charged with making a terroristic threat towards a public servant, a misdemeanor.
According to an arrest affidavit, McFatridge sent threatening messages to Texas State Representative and U.S. Senate candidate James Talarico in early August.
In a message sent to Talarico through Gmail on Aug. 3, McFatridge allegedly threatened to slit Talarico's throat and drag his body through the streets. In a message sent through Intagram on Aug. 11, McFatridge allegedly threatened to castrate Talarico.
Texas DPS investigators were able to link McFatridge to the Instagram and Gmail accounts that sent the messages. When questioned by investigators at his Fort Worth home, McFatridge admitted to owning the accounts that sent messages to Talarico.
State Representative James Talarico, a Democrat from Texas and US Senate candidate, during a campaign event in Houston, Texas, US, on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025. Talarico is jumping into the Democratic primary for US Senate in Texas, taking on a former
McFatridge told investigators he had access to multiple firearms, but said he only wanted to scare Talarico and had no intention of hurting anyone.
Investigators found McFatridge had sent threatening messages to a previous supervisor in 2023, and was arrested for aggravated assault in 2018, linking him to the potential for violent escalation.
Rep. Talarico and his staff told investigators they felt fear of serious injury due to the messages, and enhanced security for future campaign stops, including a stop in Fort Worth.
As part of McFatridge's bond conditions, he will be subject to a GPS monitor and ordered to stay away from all Talarico campaign events and all government buildings.
The Source: Information in this story comes from an arrest affidavit from Travis County.