On Sunday, a gunman shot and killed the son of a federal judge in Newark, New Jersey, at the family’s home, and shot and injured her husband in the same attack.
The judge, Esther Salas, 51, was at home at the time of the shooting but was not injured, and her husband, Mark Anderl, a 63-year-old attorney and former Essex County assistant prosecutor, is reportedly in stable condition.
Officials believe the gunman who opened fire Sunday, killing Salas’ 20-year-old son and injuring her husband, had been dressed as a FedEx employee, The Associated Press reported.
Unidentified law enforcement officials told ABC News on Monday that the gunman who shot and killed Salas’ 20-year-old son and injured her husband Sunday night has committed suicide.
Officials did not immediately confirm the report.
According to ABC News, the man was an attorney had a case before Salas in 2015. Additional details were not immediately available.
Suspect who opened fire at US District Judge Esther Salas’s home died by suicide near Liberty, NY, multiple law enforcement sources told @ABC.
The man, found dead of an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound, was an attorney who had a case before Salas in 2015 per sources. https://t.co/yFe7iZUNru
— Stephanie Wash (@WashNews) July 20, 2020
The New Jersey Globe described the suspect as “a disgruntled attorney who had appeared before U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas.”
Investigators have not released a possible motive or said who they believe was targeted. But North Brunswick resident Marion Costanza, who lives near the family, told The New York Times that Salas previously had voiced concerns that her high-profile cases could put her at risk.
In 2014, Salas sentenced “Real Housewives of New Jersey” stars Teresa and Joe Giudice to prison time following their conviction on fraud charges, the AP reported. She also has presided over a lawsuit against Deutsche Bank alleging that 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,” according to the AP.
This is a developing story. Red State Nation will provide further updates as more information becomes available.
