An assassin enters the home of a well-known federal judge in New Jersey and shoots her son and husband • Son killed • Senior unharmed • Extensive manhunt for suspect
Judge Esther Salas
An assassin disguised as a FedEx courier shot last night (Sunday) in New Jersey, the husband and son of Federal District Judge Esther Salas who is serving in New York State Court.
The judge herself was in the basement unharmed but her 20-year-old son Daniel Anderle died of his wounds and her husband Mark, who was a prosecutor in Essex County and now works as a criminal lawyer, was fatally injured. Salas is an important figure in the United States as she is the senior federal judge. The first of Hispanic descent in the country.
Neighbors reacted with great shock to the incident and described the family as "simple and nice people who it is not clear who will want to hurt them. They were part of a large community here, we loved them and we will do everything now to support them in their difficult time".
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy also referred to the affair and tweeted that "Judge Salas and her family are in my thoughts as they deal with this horrific and pointless act." State Senator Bob Menendez said in a statement to the media that "my prayers are with the judge and her family. We will catch those responsible for this atrocity and bring them to justice quickly."
Following the shooting, FBI agents, marshal service personnel and many police and security personnel rushed to the scene and closed the entire area and began a manhunt for the apprehension of the shooter. The circumstances of the incident are not known at the moment but Judge Salas, has served as president in a significant number of cases with high public visibility in the United States and around the world.
One of the current cases in which the judge is in charge is a case of Deutsche Bank customers in the United States, who are suing the bank for misrepresentation regarding its anti-money laundering policy and has not instituted a special retention procedure for high-risk customers, including the billionaire convicted sex offender. Jeffrey Epstein.
Beyond that case, Salas served as president in a case that dealt with the head of a huge Hispanic crime gang from New York. In this case from 2017, on the one hand, the judge prevented the plaintiffs from seeking a death sentence for a man who was organizationally responsible for many assassinations, but was sentenced to 45 years in prison.
Earlier in 2014, she gained fame thanks to her tenure in the trial of the stars of the reality series "Real Housewives - New Jersey" Theresa and Joe Judica. The two pleaded guilty and the judge sentenced Theresa to 15 months in prison and Joe to 41 months.