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The Gunman Who Allegedly Shot a Federal Judge's Son Dead Is Believed to Be a Men's Rights Lawyer

Judge Esther Salas was appointed to the Epstein case last Wednesday. On Sunday, her 20-year-old son, and her husband, were shot at home.
​Rutgers University / Anderl Oakley
Rutgers University / Anderl Oakley

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UPDATE 3:55 p.m. July 20, 2020

The man believed to have killed Judge Esther Salas' son is a lawyer and a vocal men’s rights activist named Roy Den Hollander, law enforcement sources told The Daily Beast Monday. He was discovered dead of a gunshot wound in the upstate New York town of Rockland, the sources said. He had a case pending before Salas that challenged the military’s male-only draft, according to court documents.

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He describes himself on his website as anti-feminist, and his Twitter posts include regular criticisms of female reporters, trying to discredit their work.

UPDATE 1:00 p.m., July 20, 2020

Early Monday afternoon, ABC News reported the suspect was found dead in Sullivan County, New York, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was reportedly an attorney who'd had a case before Salas in 2015. A FedEx package addressed to Salas was also found in the vehicle, according to the ABC sources.

Original story: The son of U.S. federal judge Esther Salas was shot and killed at her home Sunday afternoon by a man dressed as a FedEx delivery driver.

Salas’ husband, defense attorney Mark Anderl, was also shot during the incident, which took place at the family’s home in North Brunswick, New Jersey, at around 5 p.m. ET on Sunday. Salas reportedly escaped injury because she was in the basement at the time of the attack, according to a report from NBC New York.

She is a former public defender who was nominated to the federal bench during the term of former U.S. President Barack Obama in 2010. She was recommended to the position by New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, who knew the family. Just last week Salas was appointed to oversee the Deutsche Bank case involving Jeffrey Epstein, and she previously handled the high-profile case involving Teresa Giudice, a star of "Real Housewives of New Jersey," who along with her husband Joe was sentenced to jail for financial fraud in 2014.

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Salas' son, Daniel Anderl, 20, opened the door Sunday to the gunman, according to a law enforcement official speaking to CNN, and was met with “a hail of gunfire” before the gunman fled. Mark Anderl was standing right behind his son, the official said.

The 20-year-old, who was a student at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., died at the scene after he was “shot through the heart,” North Brunswick Mayor Francis Womack told ABC.

Mark Anderl, who is a prominent criminal defense attorney, was shot multiple times and rushed to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital in New Brunswick, where he underwent surgery.

It is currently unclear if the gunman, who remains at large, was a FedEx employee or simply dressed as one to avoid suspicion. “We are aware of the media reports and are fully cooperating with investigating authorities,” the company said in a statement on Sunday.

Both the U.S. Marshals and the FBI are investigating the incident.

“We are looking for one subject," the FBI said in a statement. "We are working closely with our state and local partners and will provide additional updates when available.”

Law enforcement officials told CNN it was not aware of any threats against the judge, However, the New Jersey Globe said it had learned the judge had been the target of threats, though it didn’t specify what those threats were.

"My prayers are with Judge Salas and her family, and that those responsible for this horrendous act are swiftly apprehended and brought to justice," Menendez said in a statement.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the tragedy was the “latest reminder that gun violence remains a crisis in our country and that our work to make every community safer isn't done.”

Salas was appointed last week to oversee a case involving Deutsche Bank, which is accused of misleading investors “about anti-money-laundering deficiencies,” including not properly monitoring high-risk customers, such as Jeffrey Epstein.

Cover: Rutgers University / Anderl Oakley