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WASHINGTON (AP) - A lawyer for an Idaho man charged with trying to assassinate President Barack Obama by shooting an assault rifle at the White House says a possible plea deal is in the works.
Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez is scheduled to be tried later this month for the 2011 shooting. It didn't injure anyone but left more than five bullet marks on the executive mansion. On Friday, one of Ortega-Hernandez's lawyers told a judge in Washington that he was "extremely hopeful" about resolving the case before trial. A prosecutor assigned to the case, however, said there was still a "gulf" between the parties.
Ortega-Hernandez previously rejected a plea deal.
Prosecutors say Ortega-Hernandez told acquaintances before the shooting that Obama was the Antichrist and "the devil" and that he needed to kill him.
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