UPDATE: The man suspected of killing Daniel Anderl, the 20-year-old son of Federal Judge Esther Salas, and shooting her husband Mark Anderl on Sunday evening has been identified as "anti-feminist" attorney Roy Den Hollander. After being suspected of dressing as a FedEx delivery driver and opening fire on the Anderls, Hollander was found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound in upstate New York on Monday afternoon. Though the motive for the deadly attack is still unclear, Hollander was known for defending "men's rights" and had previously spoken out against Salas. The investigation being led by the FBI is ongoing.
Although Daniel Anderl succumbed to his wounds shortly after the Sunday attack, his father is still listed as being in critical but stable condition at a hospital near the family's North Brunswick Home.
On Monday, United States Attorney General Bill Barr offered his condolences to Judge Salas and her family.
"On behalf of the entire Justice Department, I send my deepest condolences to Judge Salas and her family on the death of their son and wish her husband a swift and complete recovery," Barr said in a statement. "This kind of lawless, evil action carried out against a member of the federal judiciary will not be tolerated, and I have ordered the full resources of the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service to investigate the matter."
UPDATE: Early afternoon on Monday, authorities reported that an attorney was found dead in the New York Catskills of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Police believe that the deceased man may have also been the shooter who killed Daniel Anderl, the son of federal judge Esther Salas and critically wounded her husband Mark Anderl. Reports of the death in New York mention that a possible package addressed to Judge Salas may have been found on the property. Authorities are investigating whether a gun found on the scene with the unidentified attorney was used in the Sunday evening attack on Salas' family.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A North Brunswick, New Jersey neighborhood was rocked on Sunday evening when a gunman reportedly disguised as a delivery driver opened fire on a man and his son when they opened the front door of their home.
Dressed in a FedEx uniform, the as-yet unidentified shooter was accused of shooting Mark Anderl, husband of US District Court Judge Esther Salas, and their 20-year-old son Daniel. Police say that the younger Anderl, a law student at Catholic University, answered the door to the shooter and was shot several times. His father, a criminal defense attorney, came to the door just behind him.
Daniel, the couple's only child, was reportedly shot through the heart and died. Mark was rushed to a local hospital where he was treated for multiple gunshot wounds. He is currently said to be in critical condition.
We're shocked by this horrific and violent act, and @newjerseyoag and @NJSP offer our full investigative support to our federal partners. We express our deepest sympathies to Judge Salas and her family, and to all who are grieving in the aftermath of this tragedy. https://t.co/DCWChz2XdP
— AG Gurbir Grewal (@NewJerseyOAG) July 20, 2020
Judge Salas was not harmed in the attack, police say she was in the family's basement at the time of the shooting. She has not yet commented on the tragedy.
Law enforcement investigating several possible motivations for the killer, but have not yet ruled out a random attempted home invasion gone awry. Both the FBI and the U.S. Marshals are investigating the shooting in addition to North Brunswick police.
Salas was appointed to the US District Court of New Jersey in 2011 by President Barack Obama. She had most famously presided over a case involving reality television star Teresa Guidice and her husband Joe Guidice who were charged with several counts of fraud in 2013.
More recently, Salas was appointed to preside over a lawsuit involving investors of Deutsche Bank who accused the financial institution of improperly disclosing accusations of clients money laundering and fraud. One such client was accused sexual predator Jeffrey Epstein, who died in August of 2019 by apparent suicide in a Manhattan jail. Rumors that his death was not suicide have persisted since that time.
Salas has also been linked to several cases involving violent gang crimes. The FBI, who is leading the investigation into the attack, has not confirmed whether the shooter was seeking retaliation against the judge and her family or if he attacked them at random.
The FBI said on Monday that they are seeking only one suspect in the deadly shooting of Salas' family. Details that led authorities to pinpoint only one suspect were not immediately made clear.
The FBI is investigating a shooting that occurred at the home of Judge Ester Salas in North Brunswick Township, New Jersey earlier this evening, July 19. We're looking for one subject & ask that anyone who thinks they may have relevant information call us at 1-973-792-3001.
— FBI Newark (@FBINewark) July 20, 2020
The mayor of North Brunswick Francis Womack said that Salas had been the target of threats before stemming from her work as a federal judge. But he said that he was not aware of any threats made against Salas or her family in recent days.
"As a judge, she had threats from time to time, but everyone is saying that recently there had not been any," Womack said.
The suspect was described by police as being a white male wearing a face covering in a FedEx uniform. Witnesses say that he fled the scene in a typical car, not a delivery truck. Womack said authorities were hard at work trying to identify that vehicle.
Join the conversation as a VIP Member