UPDATED: Gunman Shoots Son and Husband Of Federal Judge In New Jersey

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By Araceli Cruz

July 20, 2020

The suspected gunman involved in the shooting of Judge Esther Salas’ son and husband has been found dead, new reports indicate.

Sunday evening, a man dressed up as a FedEx delivery person showed up to the home of federal judge Esther Salas. The individual opened fire and killed Salas’ only son, 20-year-old Daniel, and shot her husband, defense lawyer Mark Anderl. The Daily Beast reports that Anderl is in critical condition after surgery.

CNN is reporting that the suspect in the shooting has committed suicide. According to news reports, the suspect was found dead in a car and was wearing a FedEx uniform. ABC News also reports the deceased suspect was an attorney who had a case before Judge Salas in 2015, sources said.

Federal officials have disclosed the name of the suspect that killed Salas son, and wounded her husband, and was found dead in his car this morning in Liberty, N.Y. as Roy Den Hollander. The New York Times reports that Hollander was self-described as an anti-feminist. Hollander, was also a lawyer, had a case before Salas in 2015 in a trial that challenged the male-only military draftSalas ruled that the case could proceed, and remains ongoing, according to the Times.

The shootings occurred at Salas’ North Brunswick home, Chief District Judge Freda Wolfson told The Associated Press. Her husband, defense lawyer Mark Anderl, was injured in the attack, Wolfson said. Salas was in the basement at the time and wasn’t injured, according to a judiciary official who wasn’t authorized to comment and spoke anonymously to the AP.

Esther Salas is the first Latina judge to ever hold this seat at a New Jersey federal court.

The FBI tweeted Sunday night that it’s looking for one suspect in the shootings.

Salas, seated in Newark, was nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed in 2011. Before that, she served as a U.S. Magistrate Judge in New Jersey, after working as an assistant public defender for several years.

Her highest-profile case in recent years was the financial fraud case involving husband-and-wife “Real Housewives of New Jersey” reality TV stars Teresa and Joe Giudice, whom Salas sentenced to prison for crimes including bankruptcy fraud and tax evasion. Salas staggered their sentences so that one of them could be available to take care of their four children.

In 2017, she barred federal prosecutors from seeking the death penalty against an alleged gang leader charged in several Newark slayings, ruling the man’s intellectual disability made him ineligible for capital punishment. Salas later sentenced the man to 45 years in prison.

More recently, Salas has presided over an ongoing lawsuit brought by Deutsche Bank investors who claim the company made false and misleading statements about its anti-money laundering policies and failed to monitor “high-risk” customers including convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menéndez, who backed Salas’s nomination to the federal bench, said in a statement Sunday night, “My prayers are with Judge Salas and her family, and that those responsible for this horrendous act are swiftly apprehended and brought to justice.”

In an emailed statement, Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy called the shooting “a senseless act” and said, “this tragedy is our latest reminder that gun violence remains a crisis in our country and that our work to make every community safer isn’t done.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

This is a developing story and has been updated to reflect new reports on the suspects involved in this case.

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