On Sunday, a gunman dressed in FedEx attire opened fire on Judge Esther Salas’ home in Brunswick, NJ, killing her son, 20, and fatally wounding her husband. The suspect, identified as 72-year-old attorney Roy Den Hollander, was found dead on Monday.
Appointed in 2011, Salas was the first Latina woman to serve as a federal judge in New Jersey.
Authorities believe the gunman died of a self-inflicted gun wound and investigators wondered if his motive was to “take out” his enemies before he lost his battle with cancer.
A self-proclaimed “anti-feminist,” Hollander was a lawyer who identified with the “men’s right” movement. Hollander was also known for speaking out against programs and organizations that helped women.
From the gunning down of Judge Esther Salas’ family by Roy Den Hollander, to Ted Yoho calling AOC a “fucking bitch,” to sexual assault and harassment at Fox, to men freaking about a senator with mint green hair (the best color), I humbly suggest that MISOGYNY IS STILL A THING
— Kate Manne (@kate_manne) July 22, 2020
Remember when Donald Trump expressed his sincere sympathy about the brutal slaying of Judge Esther Salas’ son?
No me neither.
But hey, at least he wished a sex trafficking child abuser well.#TrumpPresser— Shari Lynn (@LynnSharig8) July 22, 2020
In 2015, Hollander presented a case to Judge Salas that accused the Selective Service System of violating the law by only requiring men to register. Three years later, Salas allowed the case to move forward, but Hollander was unable to see the case through once he became terminally ill.
Unsatisfied with how slow the case was moving, Hollander self-published a book criticizing Salas and described her as a “lazy and incompetent Latina judge appointed by Obama.”
Salas is currently overseeing the lawsuit brought by investors who accused Deutsche Bank of losing shareholders’ money through its dealings with Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced millionaire and convicted sex offender who was found dead in his cell last year.
Salas is currently under 24-hour protection from US Marshals.
“This kind of lawless, evil action carried out against a member of the federal judiciary will not be tolerated, and I have ordered the full resources of the FBI and U.S. Marshals Service to investigate the matter,” Attorney General William Barr said on Monday.