Content warning: this article contains allegations of child pornography that some may find distressing.
Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has called for Meghan Markle’s father, Thomas Markle Sr., to receive the death penalty amid his child pornography case.
“I am calling for Thomas Markle to receive the Death Penalty. Agents seized items from his L.A. storage units including film negatives showing him (ID’d by a longtime witness) with a nude prepubescent girl, one involving apparent genital contact, plus other images of him with children in various stages of undress,” Luna, 37, wrote via X on Tuesday, November 10. “He is a sick human.”
The post was shared the same day that Thomas, 82, was arrested for a second time while in custody and as he awaits a federal court hearing. A spokesperson for the Department of Justice confirmed with Us in a Tuesday statement that Thomas cut off his ankle monitor, leading to his repeat arrest.
“At a hearing today in Tampa, U.S. Magistrate Judge Lindsay Saxe Griffin of the Middle District of Florida ordered Thomas Wayne Markle detained (jailed without bond),” the statement read. “Markle cut off his ankle bracelet at 1:45 a.m. EST today. Federal law enforcement arrested him later today. Markle is in federal custody.”
In a separate post, Luna condemned Thomas’ illegal action, sharing a screenshot of a news article with the headline “Thomas Markle, father of Meghan, cut off his ankle monitor, DOJ says.”
Anna Paulina Luna Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Luna wrote alongside the screenshot, “Once a predator always a predator.”
Us also reported after viewing legal documents filed on Friday, November 6, that Thomas’ second arrest occurred just four days after he was ordered to undergo a psych evaluation after his team claimed he was not mentally competent enough to stand trial.
Thomas was first taken into federal custody in Florida on Friday, charged with one count of possession of child pornography. Prosecutors allege that he had been keeping child sexual abuse material (CSAM) in storage containers that he rented in the Los Angeles area for the past two decades. Thomas was released later on Friday after posting bond.
Authorities seized approximately 78 items while investigating the case, spanning slides, film negatives and books.
Thomas Markle Sr. Courtesy of YouTube/60 Minutes Australia
Thomas has denied all allegations of wrongdoing.
Meghan, 45, said in a statement to Us following news of Thomas’ son, Thomas Markle Jr., telling The Sun newspaper that he had discovered materials depicting child sexual abuse in storage boxes in his father’s Phillipines home, that she was “distressed” by the ordeal.
“I am deeply distressed at the news that has come to light in the last 24 hours, and my thoughts are with any children who may have been harmed,” the Duchess of Sussex stated. “In 2018, a letter was sent to the Metropolitan Police and Royalty and Specialist Protection. That letter was subsequently shared with me. It made troubling and disturbing allegations against my father and I was given assurances that these were being investigated.”
Authorities in the Philippines are investigating child abuse claims made against Meghan Markle’s estranged father, Thomas Markle Sr. “In these cases where family disputes are mixed up, we have to consider all the angles,” Philippine interior minister Jonvic Remulla told The Guardian on Sunday, October 25. “Right now, all signs point to a possible sex […]
She concluded at the time, “I hope it can now be understood that, despite certain media publications’ distortion over the years, any distance from my father and my choice to not allow him to have contact with our children was for one reason: to protect them. I trusted that the authorities were doing the same for other families.
If you or someone you know is experiencing child abuse, call or text Child Help Hotline at 1-800-422-4453.
