Judgment: QAnon shaman gets his headgear and spear back
The 36-year-old Chansley had filed a lawsuit demanding the return of items seized by authorities during his arrest in January 2021. According to the court ruling, the objects to be returned to him include a "coyote tail headdress with horns" and a roughly 1.80-meter-long staff with a metal spearhead.
Chansley had stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, alongside other supporters of then-President Donald Trump. Images of Chansley with a bare chest covered in tattoos, painted face, a fur hat with buffalo horns, and a spear with an American flag went viral. The self-proclaimed "shaman" and adherent of the QAnon conspiracy theory thus became one of the most famous Capitol attackers - and a face of the January 6 violence.
Chansley was sentenced to nearly three and a half years in prison in November 2021 for obstructing an official proceeding. However, he was released early in the spring of 2023. His lawyer had argued that he had been suffering from mental health issues for a long time. In November 2023, Chansley announced that he would be running for the U.S. Congress as a member of the Libertarian Party.
After his release from prison in the spring of 2023, Chansley's health deteriorated, leading to a hospitalization due to a severe seizure. During this hospital stay, the court allowed for the temporary return of his seized items for emotional support.
