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UF student accused of death threat against guest speaker is set to appear in court in December

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – A University of Florida student accused of threatening to kill a TikTok star visiting campus is out on bail after he was booked into the county jail last week on a felony charge of aggravated assault.

Ryan Christopher Marin, 19, of Satellite Beach, Florida, a microbiology and cell science major, was accused in court records of making a death threat in an Instagram post about an upcoming campus visit by TikTok star Josh Richards. Richards abruptly canceled the visit in June but spoke on campus in September.

Marin declined in a text message Wednesday to discuss the criminal case against him. His next scheduled court appearance was an arraignment set for Dec. 15. He posted a $5,000 bond on Friday, a few hours after he was jailed in the case.

Marin is accused of posting on Instagram on June 15 an altered picture of Richards with bullet holes, bleeding and a fictional anime character said to depict Marin by the name of “Kaworu Nagisa” standing behind him holding a gun, according to university police.

The State Attorney’s Office on Nov. 2 charged Marin with aggravated assault with intent to commit a felony.

Richards canceled his planned appearance in June, citing what he said was an unforeseen family obligation. But university police said the image Marin was accused of posting on Instagram was one of the deciding factors and said Richards was in “fear for his life,” court records said.

Police initially said the threat caused Richards to suffer a major financial loss, noting that UF Accent Speakers Bureau was paying him $60,000 for his campus appearance. It wasn’t clear whether Richards suffered any penalty financially for rescheduling his visit.

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This is a breaking news story. Check back for further developments. Contact WUFT News by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org

Camila is a reporter for WUFT News who can be reached by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news@wuft.org.