Mar-a-Lago intruder sent a co-worker a disturbing text about the Epstein files days before breaching the perimeter with a shotgun

Austin Tucker Martin, the man who was shot and killed by Secret Service agents after breaching the secure perimeter at President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property, had sent a disturbing text message about the Epstein files just days before the incident. The text was sent on February 15, 2026, to a co-worker, and it read: “I don’t know if you read up on the Epstein Files, but evil is real and unmistakable.”

He also urged his colleague to “Tell other people about what you hear about the Epstein files and what the government is doing about it. Raise awareness.” Co-workers at Pine Needles Lodge & Golf Club in North Carolina, where Martin worked, said he had grown increasingly obsessed with the Epstein files. They described him as deeply disturbed by what he saw as a government cover-up, and he often said that powerful people were “getting away with it.”

At the same time, Martin openly expressed support for President Trump, with colleagues recalling him saying as recently as late last year that he considered Trump a strong leader. According to TMZ, his fixation on the Epstein files and his support for Trump existed side by side in his conversations with people around him.

Martin’s growing frustrations at work and in life pointed to a man under pressure

Those who knew Martin described him as a well-meaning person who was becoming increasingly frustrated with the economy. He frequently complained that young people today had to work two jobs or live with roommates just to afford moving out of their parents’ homes, and Martin himself still lived with his parents at the time of the incident.

The Epstein files have had a wide ripple effect, with a billionaire executive stepping down amid Epstein fallout being just one example of the real-world consequences the released information has triggered. At work, he tried to organize a union to push for higher wages, but the effort failed to gain any support and no one signed on. Outside of work, he pursued sketch art as a creative outlet, trying to sell drawings of local scenery and people in town.

Early Sunday morning, Martin breached the secure perimeter at Mar-a-Lago and was shot and killed by Secret Service agents. Officials reported that he was seen near the north gate of the property carrying both a shotgun and a fuel can. The files have also caused shockwaves internationally, with the Royal Family facing Epstein-linked arrests making headlines around the world. The investigation into the incident is still ongoing as authorities work to understand the full picture of what happened.