Anonymous Donor Paid for Cremation of Would-Be Trump Assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks
An unidentified donor paid for the cremation of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who attempted to assassinate President Donald Trump during a 2024 campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, according to newly disclosed federal records.
The revelation appears in documents provided to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley as part of his continuing investigation into the July 13, 2024, assassination attempt. A summary of an FBI interview with Crooks’ father, Matthew Crooks, includes a brief notation stating that an “anonymous donor paid for cremation.”
The records do not identify the donor or explain why the unidentified person or organization paid the expense. The information reportedly originated with an attorney representing the Crooks family. There is currently no publicly disclosed evidence linking whoever paid for the cremation to the assassination attempt itself.
Financial circumstances may have played a role. Federal records indicate that Crooks’ father was retired or unemployed around the time of the shooting, while his mother was on leave from her job. The family reportedly did not have sufficient money available to cover the funeral expenses themselves.
Crooks’ cremation had already drawn scrutiny because of how quickly his remains were released. Rep. Clay Higgins, who participated in the congressional investigation of the Butler shooting, previously revealed that the FBI released Crooks’ body to his family 10 days after the assassination attempt and that it was cremated on July 23, 2024.
Higgins questioned the decision because it prevented congressional investigators from independently examining Crooks’ remains weeks later. He said the Butler County coroner technically controlled the body but told him he would not have released it to the family without authorization from the FBI.
Crooks opened fire from a rooftop overlooking Trump’s outdoor rally, striking Trump in the ear and killing 50-year-old firefighter Corey Comperatore. Two other rally attendees were seriously wounded before a Secret Service counter-sniper shot and killed Crooks.
The newly disclosed records also provide additional details about Crooks’ behavior before the attack. His father told investigators that Crooks had developed an increasingly intense interest in firearms and long-distance shooting and frequently purchased gun-related parts and equipment online.
Crooks also used the name “Bob Dole” when ordering packages and experimented with privacy-focused software and encrypted email services. His father told investigators that Crooks became increasingly knowledgeable about firearms and practiced shooting targets from distances exceeding 100 yards.
More than two years after the Butler attack, investigators have still not publicly established a definitive motive for Crooks’ actions. The disclosure about the unidentified person who paid for his cremation adds another unanswered question to the continuing congressional examination of the assassination attempt and its aftermath.