The prime suspect has been found dead.
The as-yet unidentified male died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, two law enforcement sources confirmed to CNN Monday morning.
The dead man was an attorney who had a case before Salas in 2015, a source told ABC; however police now believe her husband may have been the intended target.
The suspect’s body was found in a car near a campsite in the Catskills, 135 miles away from where the attack occurred. A package addressed to Salas was found in the car.
ORIGINAL STORY 7/20/2020 9:32 PM
The son of Federal Judge Esther Salas has been killed in a shooting at her North Brunswick home.
Daniel Salas, 20, was shot dead on Sunday after opening the door to a person dressed as a FedEx delivery driver, law enforcement told CNN.
Salas’ husband, defense attorney Mark Anderl, who was standing behind his son during the 5 p.m. attack, was also wounded. Salas herself was unhurt.
The US District Court of New Jersey Judge has presided over many high profile cases, including the financial fraud case against Teresa and Joe Giudice. The former was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison; the latter to 41 months, before being deported to Italy.
According to Newsweek, the attack occurred just four days after Salas was assigned to the Jeffrey Epstein-connected lawsuit against Deutsche Bank; investors have accused the bank of making false statements about its anti-money laundering policies, and failing to monitor “high risk” customers such as the convicted pedophile.
Investigators are not aware of any current threats against the family; the motive for the ambush is currently unknown.
“As a judge, she had threats from time to time, but everyone is saying that recently there had not been any,” North Brunswick Mayor Francis Womack, who is a personal friend of the couple, told ABC News.
She said Daniel, a freshman at Catholic University, had been shot through the heart. Mark had been shot multiple times.
Both the US Marshalls and the FBI are on the hunt for the killer, who they believe was a lone gunman.
“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.”
It has yet to be confirmed if the hitman was a FedEx employee or merely disguised as one.
“We are aware of the media reports and are fully cooperating with investigating authorities,” a spokesman told CNN in a statement.
Salas, who is the first Latina to serve on the federal bench in New Jersey, is now being provided a security detail by the US Marshals.
