An Orlando, Florida, man arrested for allegedly attacked his supposedly Jesus-resembling roommate with a butter knife wants to be represented by a lawyer who is an atheist.

He faces a charge of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in the Monday afternoon incident.

The man — who is a non-believer too — is reportedly indigent, however, so he will be assigned a public defender unless he comes up with the cash for a private attorney according to the presiding judge in Orange County.

The suspect, identified in multiple media accounts as Gustav Potthoff, 51, stands accused of attacking his roommate with the butter knife because he thought the other man was Jesus. “Potthoff’s roommate, Raymond Hernandez, said he was watching television in the living room of their home… when Potthoff threw a glass. It missed and shattered against a wall. Then came the butter-knife attack, Hernandez told deputies. Potthoff denied tossing the glass.”

Reportedly the alleged assailant’s version of what happened in the home has varied. “The suspect did not mention Jesus when he told police his side of the story, but changed his story numerous times, according to the police report.”

The police report states, in part, that “… After Gustav threw the glass cup at Raymond, Raymond stated the glass cup hit the ground and broke. Raymond further said Gustav then picked up a silver knife and threw that at him. When Gustav threw the items at Raymond, Raymond further said Gustav was talking about he was Jesus and wanted to kill him. Raymond frantically ran outside and called 911…”

In his court appearance, Potthoff unsuccessfully tried to convince the judge that it’s only fair that his legal counsel in the case should be a fellow atheist. “It’s just my human rights and everything else. I’m allowed to be with someone of my own kind.” He also turned down the possibility of an agnostic attorney. “It’s a sacrilegious thing,” he explained.

Apparently it will take some divine or non-divine intervention to enable the suspect to afford to hire a private attorney.

He is being held in Orange County Jail.

[Image via Shutterstock]