Former student pleads guilty to threatening mass shooting at Illinois university

A former McKendree University student has pleaded guilty to threatening a mass shooting at the Illinois campus, according to federal prosecutors. He also admitted to cyberstalking a victim through online harassment and threatening letters over seven years.

Rustin A. Berkshire, 40, of Vincennes, Indiana, entered his plea last Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois. He pleaded guilty to one count of interstate communication with a threat to injure and one count of cyberstalking.

Berkshire admitted sending messages to McKendree University on September 3, 2025, stating that he wanted to hurt students in a mass shooting. The university is in Lebanon, Illinois, east of St. Louis.

University officials contacted law enforcement after receiving several threatening messages, and officers responded to patrol the campus.

The cyberstalking charge involved related conduct from September 2018 through September 2025. Prosecutors said Berkshire harassed the victim online and mailed threatening correspondence during that period.

“Anyone threatening a mass shooting on campus should expect the full weight of federal law enforcement,” U.S. Attorney Steven D. Weinhoeft said. “We treat these threats with the utmost seriousness and act on them immediately.”

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. Berkshire is scheduled to be sentenced December 10.