US federal judge Esther Salas’ son killed, husband shot at New Jersey home
- Salas was in the basement at the time and wasn’t injured and her husband is recovering from surgery
- The FBI is looking for the suspect, as officials investigate whether the shooting was linked to her work or the current climate of political unrest
A gunman posing as a delivery person shot and killed the 20-year-old son of a US federal judge and wounded her husband at their New Jersey home before fleeing, according to judiciary officials.
The shooting occurred on Sunday evening at the North Brunswick home of US District Judge Esther Salas, and killed her son, Daniel, Chief District Judge Freda Wolfson said. Her husband, defence lawyer Mark Anderl, was injured in the attack, Wolfson said.
Salas was in the basement at the time and was not injured, according to a judiciary official who was not authorised to comment and spoke anonymously.
The perpetrator, believed to be a lone gunman posing as a FedEx delivery person, was not in custody, the official said. The US Marshals and the FBI said in a series of tweets that they are looking for one suspect in the shootings.
Daniel Anderl, a college student, was the judge’s only child, the official said.
Asked if officials thought the shooting was linked to the judge’s work or the current climate of political unrest, Wolfson said, “We really have no idea.”
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.
‘Terrified’ US couple draw guns on protesters passing their mansion
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.
Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez, 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 Governor 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.”
