Suspect in shooting death of federal judge's son found dead, believed to be attorney

Authorities believe an attorney found dead in New York on Monday was the shooter who killed a New Jersey federal judge's son and wounded her husband, law enforcement sources with knowledge told NBC New York.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation identified him as Roy Den Hollander, a well-known New York lawyer who has a long history of anti-feminist work.

Hollander's body was found in the town of Rockland in the Catskills. A senior law enforcement official said the FBI and the police were investigating whether the man died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds and whether a gun at the scene was the one used to kill Judge Esther Salas' son and wound her husband.

Several law enforcement officials said Monday that investigators are also looking into whether Hollander was involved in the killing last week of a well-known men's rights lawyer, Marc Angelucci.

Angelucci, who founded a group that "raises awareness about the ways sex discrimination affects men and boys," was found shot to death at his Southern California home July 11.

Law enforcement officials said they found printed material in Hollander's car about Salas, Angelucci and Janet DiFiore, chief judge of the New York Court of Appeals and of the State of New York. The officials said the FBI briefed DiFiore about the discovery.

In a recently self-published memoir, Hollander called Salas — who was appointed to her U.S. District Court seat in Newark in 2011 — "a lazy and incompetent Latina judge appointed by Obama."

Hollander, who attended law school at George Washington University and whose law office address was listed in Manhattan, first registered as a lawyer in New York in 1987, state records show. He had no record of public discipline, the records show.

Hollander filed multiple lawsuits over the years claiming that men were discriminated against. In one suit, filed in 2007, he argued that nightclubs that allowed women in for free but charged men "practiced invidious discrimination." In another suit, filed against Columbia University, the U.S. Department of Education and other school and government officials in 2008, he alleged they violated the constitution by establishing the "religion Feminism" through a women's studies program.

In 2016, Hollander sued journalists from multiple news organizations in federal district court, including NBC News, alleging that they violated the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act by repeatedly publishing "false and misleading" reports about President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign.

The case was dismissed in 2018.

Last year, Hollander was the original lawyer in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. military's male-only draft that was heard by Salas. Hollander was later replaced as the plaintiff's lawyer.

Salas' son and husband were shot at their home in North Brunswick around 5 p.m. Sunday. The 20-year-old son was killed, while the husband was critically wounded.

Preliminary indications are that the husband answered the door and was shot multiple times; the son came running to the door and was shot as well before the gunman fled, the sources said. Salas was believed to be in the basement at the time of the shooting and was not injured.

The FBI, U.S. Marshals, New Jersey State Police and the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General are all investigating, and the FBI had tweeted it was looking for "one subject" in the shooting. It's not clear what led authorities to the location in Liberty where the man was found dead.

Some reports indicated the shooter may have been dressed as a delivery driver. FedEx issued a statement Monday saying only it was fully cooperating with the authorities and, “Our deepest sympathies are with Judge Salas and her family at this time."

Salas, a judge of the U.S. District Court for New Jersey in Newark, has been in her seat for nine years. Before that, she spent five years as a magistrate judge, and nine years prior to that as a federal public defender.

She is the first Latina to serve on the federal bench in New Jersey.

Salas has presided over a number of high-profile trials in her tenure, including the trial of former "Real Housewife" Teresa Giudice.

More recently, she presided over an ongoing lawsuit brought by Deutsche Bank investors who claim the company made false and misleading statements about its anti-money laundering policies and failed to monitor “high-risk” customers, including convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Her husband, Mark Anderl, is a well-regarded criminal defense attorney. His law partner, David Oakley, said Monday that he remained in critical condition and was undergoing a second surgery.

Their son, Daniel, was the couple's only child and he was studying law to follow in his parents' footsteps. He graduated cum laude with honors from St. Joseph's High School in 2018 and was actively enrolled at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. The university plans to hold a mass for Daniel's family 7 p.m. Monday, to be held over Zoom, and counseling resources have been made available for students.

"Daniel was a rising junior, enrolled for classes beginning in the next few weeks. He turned 20 last week," a statement from the university read.

New Jersey's political leaders were quick to react to the shootings.

"I know Judge Salas and her husband well, and was proud to recommend her to President Obama for nomination to New Jersey’s federal bench. My prayers are with Judge Salas and her family, and that those responsible for this horrendous act are swiftly apprehended and brought to justice," Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said in a statement.

In a statement, Gov. Phil Murphy said, “Judge Salas and her family are in our thoughts at this time as they cope with this senseless act. This tragedy is our latest reminder that gun violence remains a crisis in our country and that our work to make every community safer isn’t done.”