NJ Federal Judge Whose Son Was Murdered: Judges Need More Privacy

NORTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — Federal judge Esther Salas, whose husband was shot and her son killed allegedly by a lawyer arguing a case in front of her, released a tearful video Monday morning asking for stronger privacy protections for federal judges.

In the video — the first time she speaks publicly about the July 19 shooting at her North Brunswick home — Salas weeps for her son, and details the need for stronger privacy protections for federal judges, especially when it comes to their personal information and home addresses being available on the Internet.

"Two weeks ago, my life as I knew it changed in an instant. And my family will never be the same. A madman, who I believe was targeting me because of my position as federal judge, came to my house," said Salas.

"The threat for my family was real," she continued. "And the free flow of information on the Internet allowed this sick and depraved human being to find all our personal information and target us. Currently, all federal judge's addresses and information is readily available on the Internet. In addition, there are companies that will sell our personal details. In my case, this monster knew where we lived and what church we attended."

Just a few hours after Salas released her video Monday morning, U.S. Senators Bob Menendez and Cory Booker (both D-N.J.) said they are working on legislation to better protect against potential threats to federal judges and their families.

“What happened to Judge Esther Salas and her family is a tragedy of unspeakable proportions. No judge should ever feel unsafe or threatened because they answered the call of public service to uphold justice," said the New Jersey senators in a joint statement. "In recent days, we have expressed our commitment to Judge Salas and her family to take action to find a solution to safeguard federal judges."

As Patch reported, the FBI has identified Roy Den Hollander, an anti-feminist lawyer, as the alleged killer. Hollander was arguing a multi-year case in front of Salas: In 2015, he filed a federal lawsuit arguing that requiring only men to register for the draft was sex discrimination. Salas was the judge assigned to the case.

It was 5 p.m. on an otherwise quiet Sunday in the middle of summer. That's when the FBI said Hollander walked up to the front steps of their home and rang the doorbell. He was dressed like a FedEx delivery man, NJ.com reported.

Salas said she and her son, Daniel, 20, were in the basement at the time, cleaning up after his birthday weekend, in which he'd invited some friends from college to their home.

"It was time to clean up from the weekend festivities. As Daniel and I went down to the basement, we were chatting as we always do and Daniel said, 'Mom, let's keep talking, I love talking to you.' It was at that exact moment that the doorbell rang," she said. "And Daniel looked at me and said, 'Who is that?' And before I could say a word, he sprinted upstairs."

Salas' husband, Mark Anderl, also a lawyer, was upstairs. He initially went to the front door and opened it.

"Within seconds ... " she paused to collect herself. "I heard the sound of bullets and someone screaming, 'No!' I later learned that this monster who had a FedEx package in his hands opened fire. But Daniel, being Daniel, protected his father. And he took the shooter's first bullet directly to the chest."

Daniel was pronounced dead at the scene. He graduated from Saint Joseph's Catholic boys' school in Metuchen, and was set to begin his junior year at Catholic University. He planned to study law like his parents.

Watch Salas' video:

"The monster then turns his attention to my husband and began to shoot at my husband," she said. "One shot after another. Mark was shot three times. One bullet entered his right chest, the other his left abdomen and the last one his right forearm."

Anderl was hospitalized and is currently recovering, she said.

"We are living every parent's worst nightmare, making preparations to bury our only child," she said. "I am here asking everyone to help me ensure that no one has to experience this kind of pain."

"We may not be able to stop something like this from happening again, but we can make it hard for those who target us to track us down ... As federal judges we understand that our decisions will be scrutinized. And some may disagree strongly with our rulings," she said. "We know that our job requires us to make tough calls. And sometimes those calls can leave people angry. That comes with the territory, and we accept that. But what we cannot accept is when we are forced to live in fear for our lives because our personal information, like our homes and addresses, can be easily obtained."

"At at the moment there is nothing we can do to stop it, and that is unacceptable," said Salas. "My son's death cannot be in vain. Which is why I am begging those in power to do something to help my brothers and sisters on the bench. We need to identify a solution that keeps the lives of federal judges private. This is a matter of life and death. We cannot just sit back and wait for another tragedy to strike."

Hollander's body was found at 8:15 a.m. the next day, in a campsite in the Catskills town of Rockland. He died of a single self-inflicted gunshot wound, said New York State Police.

An envelope addressed to Salas was found in his car at the campsite Monday, according to ABC. The name and photo of another female judge was also found next to him, that of New York state Chief Judge Janet DiFiore.

In online postings Hollander had written, he complained bitterly about Salas, criticizing her for being a woman and of Hispanic origin, calling her "a lazy and incompetent Latina judge appointed by Obama."

"The case began over the July 4th weekend of 2015, and was assigned to this hot Latina Judge in the U.S. District Court for New Jersey whom Obama had appointed," Hollander wrote in his online manifesto. "At first, I wanted to ask the Judge out, but thought she might hold me in contempt."

"After Salas agreed to allow the DOJ its fourth motion to dismiss, I checked her bio," he continued. "Female judges didn't bother me as long as they were middle age or older black ladies. They seemed to have an understanding of how life worked and were not about to be conned by any foot dragging lawyer. Latinas, however, were usually a problem—driven by an inferiority complex."

He is also the prime suspect in the murder of another anti-feminist lawyer, Marc Angelucci in California. Similar to the Salas incident, Angelucci was shot dead at the front door of his Crestline, California on July 11, by a man also wearing a FedEx uniform, according to USA Today. Angelucci was vice president of the National Coalition for Men, and Hollander considered him a rival in the field of men's rights. The FBI said on July 22 they have evidence linking Angelucci's murder to Hollander.

In this Patch profile of Hollander, he emerges as an Ivy League-educated man consumed by his hatred for women, feminism, political correctness, affirmative action and many other topics.

"The Feminazis, I despise them!," he wrote. "Until my last dollar or last breath, I will fight them, and if there is anything after death, I will fight them for eternity."

Read: Man Accused Of Shooting NJ Judge's Son Wrote Of Hatred For Women (July 21)

FBI: Evidence Links Alleged Killer Of NJ Judge's Son To CA Murder (July 22)