Concord, New Hampshire (AP) — A New Hampshire man, Tyler Anderson, 30, of Dover, who faced charges for threatening the lives of presidential candidates, was found dead as the jury deliberated his verdict, according to court filings on Thursday.
The jury began deliberations on Tuesday after a trial that commenced on Monday. A court filing revealed, “the government has learned that the defendant is deceased,” leading prosecutors to move for the dismissal of the indictment.
Charges and Potential Sentences
Anderson was indicted by a federal grand jury in December on three counts of sending threats via interstate commerce. Each count carried a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The U.S. Attorney’s office did not specify the names of the candidates involved. However, a spokesperson for Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed that Anderson had directed threatening texts at Ramaswamy’s campaign.
Arrest and Release Conditions
Anderson was arrested on December 9 and released five days later under several conditions set by a federal judge. These included avoiding contact with any presidential candidates or their campaigns and adhering to prescribed mental health treatments and medications.
Details of the Threats
Court documents indicated that Anderson responded to a campaign text message from Ramaswamy’s team about a breakfast event in Portsmouth with two threatening texts. One text threatened to shoot the candidate in the head, while the other threatened mass violence and desecration of corpses at the event.
Additionally, a court document from Anderson’s arrest included a screenshot of threatening texts from December 6, sent in response to an invitation for an event dubbed “Tell it Like It Is.” This phrase was associated with Republican Chris Christie’s town hall events. Christie’s campaign had acknowledged the threats and expressed gratitude to law enforcement.
Broader Threat Pattern
In an FBI interview, Anderson admitted to sending similar threatening messages to multiple other campaigns. The charges included similar threats sent on November 22 and December 6 to two other candidates before the Ramaswamy incident.
DOJ Statement
A Department of Justice spokesperson stated that victims are not named to respect their privacy and adhere to the Crime Victims Rights Act.
The court and public remain in the dark regarding the exact circumstances of Anderson’s death while awaiting the jury’s decision, adding another layer of complexity to an already troubling case.
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