Shawn Christy took the stand Monday in his federal trial.

But when he learned that testifying meant giving up his right to plead the Fifth, Christy decided that he would rather keep that right, and have the jury not consider his testimony.

During his aborted testimony and a closing statement on Monday, Christy said he refused to surrender to police during a 95-day manhunt in summer 2018 because he feared for his safety.

“I didn’t feel safe for my life, I didn’t feel safe for my family’s life,” he said in his closing statement.

During his closing statement Christy, who is acting as his own attorney, commented on many of the 20-plus witnesses called by the prosecution. He pointed out instances where he felt evidence was lost or omitted by the prosecution.

Christy allegedly became a fugitive on May 20, 2018, after skipping a court date in a 2017 assault case which took place in McAdoo. He told jurors that he got a call from his public defender that day saying that his case had been rescheduled, and he did not need to appear.

In early June of 2018, federal agents joined the manhunt because of posts which appeared on his Facebook account which said Christy would use “full lethal force” against officers who tried to arrest him, and another which said he would put a bullet in the head of President Donald J. Trump and Northampton County District Attorney John Morganelli.

In his closing, Christy told jurors that the prosecution failed to prove that threats posted on his Facebook account were actually posted by him. He said they didn’t prove that he actually wanted to carry out the threats, or talk to Morganelli to see if he felt it was a threat.

Christy said that a June 20, 2018, raid on his parents’ house made him fear for his safety and the safety of his parents. He said the raid involved a helicopter and dozens of officers. He said officers pulled his mother from her bed at gunpoint.

Christy presented as evidence the search warrant from the raid. He said his parents testified that the officer who signed the search warrant wasn’t even present, and that Schuylkill County District Attorney Michael O’Pake should not have approved it because he was previously Christy’s public defender in the case.

Christy is accused of stealing a pickup truck from Hazleton Oil & Environmental on July 7, 2018, and driving it to the Canada border before crossing on foot. In his closing statement he said the prosecution failed to explain why the gate to the business was left open, and the keys were left in the vehicle.

In regard to a second vehicle theft, which occurred on July 28, 2018, Christy said the prosecution failed to account for why the time on the video was 40 minutes off from the actual time of day.

Christy said in his closing statement that he felt there was other evidence omitted.

He questioned why there was no video from a towing company in Maryland where he was allegedly spotted on Aug. 19, 2018. He also said that he never carried a camouflage backpack, but one was recovered from that location containing a gun he allegedly took from his uncle’s house on July 25, 2018, and loan documents he allegedly took from the home of Medal of Honor recipient Dakota Meyer on Aug. 9, 2018.

During his aborted testimony, Christy admitted to entering his uncle’s house, and Meyer’s house. But he said he did not take the firearms or the loan documents.

Christy finished his testimony, but when prosecutors began cross-examining him, he said he did not wish to answer more questions. When he invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination, Judge Robert Mariani said the law prevents a defendant from pleading the Fifth after taking the stand in their own defense. Mariani said he could have his testimony thrown out if he didn’t want to answer the prosecutors’ questions.

“I would prefer to continue to invoke my Fifth Amendment right even if it means that my direct testimony will be stricken from the record,” Christy said.

The prosecution made its closing statement as well on Monday. Assistant U.S. Attorney Francis Sempa went through each of the charges Christy is facing — threats against the president, threatening communications, interstate transport of a stolen vehicle, interstate transport of stolen firearm, possessing a firearm while facing a felony charge, and being a fugitive in possession of a firearm.

Sempa acknowledged that Christy felt he was a victim of injustice in his McAdoo assault case, but that it did not justify his alleged threats, thefts or possession of stolen firearms.

“President Trump has nothing to do with McAdoo and Schuylkill County,” Sempa said.

Sempa replayed a recording taken in the days following Christy’s arrest while he was housed at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center. Jurors heard the tape during the trial against Christy’s objection that it was made without a warrant, and he hadn’t received his Miranda rights.

On the tape, the person identified as Christy admits to several of the break-ins which took place during the manhunt, including at the Kentucky home of Medal of Honor recipient Meyer. He also shares his belief that Meyer is paying off the officers in his McAdoo assault case.

He talks about traveling up to Canada, down to Kentucky, and running out of gas on two occasions in West Virginia. He said he didn’t want to break into a school for the deaf, but his truck happened to break down nearby.

“In that prison visit he essentially admits every charge he is charged with,” Sempa said.

On Tuesday, jurors heard instructions from the judge before beginning deliberations in the case.