UPDATE
Suspect in killing at N.J. home of federal judge found dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound, reports say
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Suspect in killing at N.J. home of federal judge found dead of self-inflicted gunshot wound, reports say
Updated 3:06 PM; Today 1:02 PM
U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, whose son was killed after a gunman came to her home Sunday evening, shooting her husband and fatally wounding her only child.Star-Ledger file photo
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Alex Napoliello | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com and
Ted Sherman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
The alleged suspect
in the murder of a federal judge’s 20-year-old son on Sunday evening has taken his own life, according to multiple media reports.
The man, still unidentified, was said to be a disgruntled attorney who had appeared before before U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas,
ABC News reported, adding his body was discovered with a gun in Sullivan County, about two hours from the judge’s home.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in New Jersey declined comment.
New York State police told NJ Advance Media they are investigating a death in the town of Rockland in Sullivan County, N.Y.
“It’s a death investigation. We’re not confirming if it’s a suicide or homicide at this time. We don’t know if it’s a direct link to a shooting in New Jersey,” said Trooper Steven Nevel of the New York State Police. “The FBI is en route to our location.”
Daniel Anderl, a student at Catholic University, was killed and the judge’s husband, criminal defense lawyer Mark Anderl, 63, was wounded when someone came to the door of their home in North Brunswick and shot both of them.
Mark Anderl underwent surgery Sunday evening and is in stable condition at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick.
Salas had been in the basement at the time of the shooting and was not injured, sources said.
The shooting sparked a major manhunt by state and federal authorities, even before anyone knew whether the target had been the judge herself or possibly her husband. Initial reports from several law enforcement sources had said the gunman had been dressed as a FedEx delivery man.
“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,” said U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr.
Investigators gather near the North Brunswick home of US District Judge Esther Salas, whose son Daniel was fatally shot and her husband, Mark Anderl, wounded in an attack on Sunday evening.John Jones | For NJ Advance Medi
Authorities still will not say what case the alleged shooter had before the judge, whose docket has ranged from the celebrity world to hard-core gang members. Salas, 51, has handled cases involving members of the
Grape Street Crips, in connection with a long-running drug-trafficking network that was taken down by the FBI in 2015. She was also the judge
who sent Real Housewives stars Joe and Teresa Giudice to prison.
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 Jeffrey Epstein.
Salas, who is based in Newark, was the
first Hispanic woman to be appointed to the U.S. District Court in New Jersey. She was
nominated by President Obama as a U.S. District Court judge in December 2010 and confirmed by the Senate in June 2011.
Mark Anderl served as an assistant prosecutor in Essex County before entering private practice. He met Salas when she was a second-year law school intern.
Daniel, an aspiring lawyer, was the couple’s only child.
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Alex Napoliello may be reached at anapoliello@njadvancemedia.com.
Ted Sherman may be reached at tsherman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TedShermanSL.