On July 19, the son of the US District Court of New Jersey Esther Salas as shot and killed at their North Brunswick home. Daniel Anderl, a 20-year-old student at Catholic University, opened the door after he saw a FedEx delivery driver, but it turns out to be a gunman.
The assassination
Mark Anderl, the judge's husband, a defense attorney was critically injured. Meanwhile, Judge Salas was unharmed, according to Chief Judge Freda Wolfson.
Two law enforcement sources then made a follow-up and discovered that the gunman who killed Daniel Anderl has died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
The FBI and the US Marshals are now investigating the shooting, and they believed that the family was targeted because of Judge Salas' involvement in Epstein's case.
A spokesman for FedEx, Jonathan Lyons, said in an email statement sent to CNN that they are aware of the media reports and they are fully cooperating with the authorities.
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A family of the law
In 2011, Judge Salas became New Jersey's first Latina US District Court judge. She was nominated by President Barack Obama and she was confirmed by the Senate.
According to federal court records, she has handled numerous high-profile cases, including the financial fraud case of Teresa and Joe Giudice from "Real Housewives of New Jersey."
Judge Salas also handled the sentencing of Farad Roland in 2018. He was found guilty of federal racketeering charges and he was sentenced to 45 years in jail. He was the leader of the South Side Cartel, which was labeled as one of the most violent gangs in Newark.
On July 16, Judge Salas was given the case against Deutsche Bank. The lawsuit was filed by Ali Karimi on behalf of the bank's investors who bought securities from November 7, 2017, to July 6, 2020.
According to the lawsuit, the bank failed to assess its customers and proceeded to entertain high-risk ones, including the convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
In 2018, New Jersey Monthly featured Judge Salas and she talked about her relationship with her husband Mark Anderl. She said she was a second-year law school intern and he was an assistant prosecutor in Essex County when they met in 1992 and they've been together ever since.
Mark Anderl is a criminal defense attorney and works at Anderl & Oakley, which specializes in federal and state criminal defense as well as municipal and juvenile court matters.
Daniel, their son, also wanted to have a future in law. Daniel was a junior at Catholic University in Washington and he was enrolled for classes that will start in the next few weeks. In 2018, he graduated cum laude from St. Joseph High School.
Mayor Francis Womack of North Brunswick told CNN on July 19 that Mark Anderl is one of the most honest attorneys that he has ever met. He expressed his dismay about what happened because he knows how much Mark loves his son, as he always brags about him.
The assailant who shot Daniel was found dead, and the authorities are now investigating the case to find out who was behind the assassination. The FBI is also investigating whether the assassination is connected to Judge Salas' handling of the Deutsche Bank and Jeffrey Epstein case.
