Controversial livestreamer Chud the Builder is now at the center of another firestorm — this time involving the attorney defending him. Days after Dalton Eatherly appeared in a Tennessee courtroom on attempted murder charges tied to a courthouse shooting, his lawyer says his own office has been flooded with hostile messages simply for agreeing to take the case.
In a statement provided to People, attorney Jacob Fendley said his firm has received “hateful phone calls and emails” since taking Eatherly on as a client following the May 13 shooting outside the Montgomery County Courthouse in Clarksville. While Fendley declined to discuss specifics because the case is ongoing, he defended the role attorneys play in high-profile criminal proceedings, saying, “My role is to represent people regardless of their race, religion, ideology, or allegations against them.”
Fendley also directly addressed the controversy surrounding Eatherly’s online persona. “This entire case is disturbing,” he said in the statement. “Racism is a terrible thing, and it’s a flawed method of thinking.”
The legal pressure facing Eatherly has also escalated significantly. During a recent court appearance, General Sessions Court Judge Reid Poland III reportedly warned that the attempted criminal homicide charge alone could carry a prison sentence ranging from 15 to 60 years if convicted.
Authorities say the confrontation became physical before shots were fired. The victim, identified by CNN as Joshua Fox, a Black disabled veteran, was airlifted to a Nashville hospital and underwent emergency surgery after being struck multiple times. He is in stable condition.
The courthouse shooting came only days after Eatherly’s earlier arrest in Nashville, where police accused him of refusing to pay a nearly $400 bill at Bob’s Steak & Chop House after staff asked him to stop livestreaming inside the restaurant. Officers later charged him with theft of services, disorderly conduct, and resisting arrest.
