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$20,000 Raised in Three Hours for Legal Defense of Man Who Decapitated Satanic Statue in Iowa Capitol

'My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so I acted.'

Published: December 15, 2023
  |   By Cassandra MacDonald
$20,000 Raised in Three Hours for Legal Defense of Man Who Decapitated Satanic Statue in Iowa Capitol

A massive $20,000 was raised in just three hours for Michael Cassidy, a Christian and former military officer, who tore down and beheaded the Satan altar in the Iowa Capitol on Thursday.


Charlie Kirk announced that his organization Turning Point USA would also be pledging $10,000 towards Cassidy's legal defense.

Daily Wire host Matt Walsh also donated $1,000.


As SCNR previously reported, the now-destroyed altar to Baphomet was installed by the Satanic Temple, with approval from the Iowa Legislature, and featured a goat's head on a red-caped mannequin holding a crimson pentagram wreath.

The display caused massive controversy, with some arguing that the approval of the shrine was crucial to religious freedom and others arguing that it was a deliberate move to torment Christians — especially as it was placed near a Nativity scene.

The Satanic display was approved to stand in the Capitol for two weeks but was cut short when Cassidy toppled and decapitated the statue before discarding the head in a trash can.

Speaking to The Sentinel, Cassidy said he had beheaded the statue in order to “awaken Christians to the anti-Christian acts promoted by our government.”

“The world may tell Christians to submissively accept the legitimization of Satan, but none of the founders would have considered government sanction of Satanic altars inside Capitol buildings as protected by the First Amendment,” Cassidy said. “Anti-Christian values have steadily been mainstreamed more and more in recent decades, and Christians have largely acted like the proverbial frog in the boiling pot of water.”


“I saw this blasphemous statue and was outraged,” Cassidy continued. “My conscience is held captive to the word of God, not to bureaucratic decree. And so I acted.”

Cassidy turned himself into police after destroying the shrine. The Sentinel reported that the Satanic Temple of Iowa confirmed they intend to press charges.

The report added that Cassidy was charged with fourth-degree criminal mischief.


What had happened quickly spread like wildfire across social media and a GoFundMe campaign was launched to help with his legal fees.


The fundraiser was seeking $20,000 and met the goal in approximately three hours.


"Truly humbled by y’alls support. We raised the $20k we were looking for in just a couple hours. I directed the campaign to be paused - we have enough for now," Cassidy wrote in a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

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