Naman Shrestha
When the peaceful and loving home of a federal judge in New Jersey was attacked in 2020, it turned into a crime scene as her son, Daniel Anderl, tragically met his untimely demise and her husband was critically wounded. The crime sent shockwaves across the entire community, with the detectives hunting for answers and the identity of the masked perpetrator. When another killing in California was linked to Daniel’s homicide, a suspect emerged. All the intricate details of the case and the ensuing investigation are explored in NBC’s ‘Dateline: The Grudge,’ which also features exclusive, in-depth interviews with Daniel’s loved ones and the officials who worked hard to solve the case.
Daniel Anderl Died While Spending Time With His Parents During the Summer of 2020
Esther Salas and Mark Anderl were blessed with Daniel Mark “Danny” Anderl, who entered the world as a little bundle of joy on July 13, 2000, in New Jersey. While Esther was a federal judge, Mark was a successful defense attorney. Raised in a loving household, Daniel also dreamed of following in the footsteps of his beloved parents and pursuing a career in law. While excelling academically at St. Joseph High School, he was also an impressive athlete, serving as a pitcher on the school’s 2017 Greater Middlesex Conference baseball tournament championship team. Being a member of the Baseball Warehouse travel program, he trained at the organization’s Highland Park facility. After graduating cum laude from high school in 2018, the popular student-athlete went to The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.
Preparing to begin his junior year at the prestigious college, Daniel was spending the summer of 2020 with his parents at their home in North Brunswick Township, New Jersey. On the evening of July 19, 2020, just a few days after celebrating his 20th birthday, he met his sudden demise while his father, Mark, was critically injured in a shooting that occurred at the residence’s door. After hearing multiple loud bangs, Esther rushed to the door and called 911. As officers from the North Brunswick Police Department and paramedics arrived at the scene, they administered first aid to Daniel and Mark, as the two still had a pulse.
While EMTs rushed the father and son to Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, the police secured the crime scene and canvassed the house for evidence. They collected possible DNA from the door frame, as well as bullets and spent shell casings from a 380 handgun found in the front hallway. At the hospital, Daniel was pronounced dead as he succumbed to the gunshot wounds to his chest. Meanwhile, Mark survived the shooting but was in a critical condition after a couple of successful surgeries. Following the death of 20-year-old Daniel, a homicide investigation was immediately launched.
Daniel Anderl’s Suspected Killer Was Found Dead the Day After the Shooting
Since Mark had confronted the shooter closely, the detectives talked to him while he was in an intubated state. They also talked to the family’s next-door neighbor, who described seeing a male individual donning a mask and carrying a FedEx messenger bag fleeing the scene in a Nissan Sentra after the shooting. During the investigation, they learned that another similar shooting had taken place in California, resulting in the death of a 52-year-old attorney named Marc Angelucci, eight days prior to the killing of Daniel. As per investigative reports, a male suspect posed as a delivery agent and knocked on Daniel’s family home, where he allegedly killed Daniel and severely injured his father, Mark Anderl.
Given the nature of their jobs, both Esther Salas and Mark Anderl had received multiple threats in the past. While the law enforcement officers were checking if there could be a connection between those threats and the homicide, they learned about the discovery of the remains of a Manhattan-based lawyer and self-proclaimed antifeminist named Roy Den Hollander in Rockland, New York, the day after the attack on Daniel and his father. Found deceased near his rental car in an open field, he reportedly died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to his head with the same caliber handgun that was linked to the shootings of Marc Angelucci and Daniel Anderl.
While searching his abandoned rental car, the authorities found dossiers on Esther Salas and Marc Angelucci as well as a list of other judges and doctors. On his computer, they also found a 1,500-page manifesto, which mentioned him battling melanoma. Furthermore, he reportedly shared a professional relationship with Marc. The detectives also reviewed his cell phone records, which placed him near both crime scenes at the time of the shootings. In light of the circumstantial evidence, the investigators identified him as the primary suspect in the killings of Daniel and Marc.
Read More: Dan Markel Murder Details and Investigation Timeline
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