Opposite coasts, similar crimes, one gunman: How investigators connected the cases
Two men are shot and killed at their homes 2,800 miles apart by a man delivering a package - how a car full of clues helped solve the murders.
On July 11, 2020 in San Bernardino County, California, a delivery man with a package rang the doorbell of 52-year-old attorney Marc Angelucci. When Angelucci approached the door to sign for the package, he was shot point-blank. Investigators say he died at the scene.
A Friend Searches for Answers
Investigators were initially stumped about who wanted Marc Angelucci dead. There was no clear suspect and no motive. Angelucci's friend, documentary filmmaker Cassie Jaye, also wanted answers. She started digging into the different cases he was involved with and wondered if his work made him a target.
Marc Angelucci
Marc Angelucci was a sought-after, well-liked attorney from San Bernardino County, California. But according to Cassie Jaye, who met Angelucci while filming her documentary, "The Red Pill," he was not a materialistic person by any means; she says he was humble, sincere, and fun. He never married or had any children. His passion was his work. He had a rare and controversial specialty: gender discrimination against men. But according to Jaye, Angelucci was not making a case for male supremacy. "It was more of a fight for justice in his eyes, that we should all be treated equally," she said.
The Next Victim
On July 19, 2020, eight days after Marc Angelucci's murder, a similar crime occurred in a suburban New Jersey town 2,800 miles away. That afternoon someone posing as a deliveryman rang the doorbell of the home where 20-year-old Daniel Anderl lived. Investigators say when he answered the door he was shot and killed. His father, Mark Anderl, was critically injured.
Daniel Anderl
Daniel Anderl was born to Esther Salas and Mark Anderl, who suffered three heartbreaking miscarriages before Daniel's birth. Esther Salas is a federal judge in New Jersey and Mark Anderl is an attorney. Daniel was their only child. He was a student at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., with a love for sports and an aspiration to go to law school. He spent his last weekend celebrating his 20th birthday at home with his beloved parents and his college friends.
Who was the Intended Target?
Daniel Anderl was the son of federal Judge Esther Salas and attorney Mark Anderl, a former prosecutor. FBI agents were called to the scene to help local law enforcement figure out who fired the shots and why. According to FBI Incident Commander Joe Denahan, the FBI considered both terrorism and a lone offender who held a grudge against Daniel's parents because of their professions.
A Suicide in the Catskills
As multiple federal and state agencies were conducting investigations into the Anderl murder, another case was unfolding 150 miles away in New York State's Catskill mountains. New York State troopers found a man dead with a gunshot wound to his head lying near an unoccupied car. The victim was 72-year-old New York City attorney Roy Den Hollander.
Clues Found in the Car
According to New York State Police Captain Brian Webster, investigators on scene said Roy Den Hollander's death appeared to be a suicide. But when they looked in the car, they found a FedEx envelope addressed to Judge Esther Salas and an address to a residence in San Bernardino County, California. The investigator who found the envelope for Judge Salas was aware of the recent shooting and Webster alerted the FBI.
The Cases Connected
With the clues found in Roy Den Hollander's car, the FBI started to connect the dots. They had the envelope with Judge Salas' address. They discovered the San Bernardino address belonged to Marc Angelucci. And the gun found next to Den Hollander's body – a .380 caliber handgun – was later determined to be the same gun used to kill Marc Angelucci and Daniel Anderl. Investigators also learned Den Hollander took a cross-country train trip to California in early July. He is seen here at the San Bernardino Train Station on July 7, 2020 wearing a mask and carrying a cup of coffee
Hollander's Trip to California
Investigators believe Roy Den Hollander, who lived in New York City, arrived at the San Bernardino train station on July 7, 2020. Four days later, he drove to Marc Angelucci's house and shot him. That same day, he drove to Union Station in downtown Los Angeles – he is seen at the train station in this photo – before he headed back to New York.
The Evidence Piles Up
FBI agents had collected compelling evidence and developed a timeline that linked Roy Den Hollander to both crimes. Agents found a lengthy online manuscript Den Hollander left behind and spent hundreds of hours analyzing his writings. According to Joe Denahan, "[Roy] was a very angry person… he blamed women for the failures of his life." In Den Hollander's own words, he called Judge Salas a "lazy and incompetent Latina judge." Investigators believe Judge Salas – not her son – was the intended target because Den Hollander wrongly blamed her for slowing down one of his lawsuits.
The Grudge
FBI agents also learned that Roy Den Hollander had a perceived grievance against Marc Angelucci. Den Hollander was a self-proclaimed "anti-feminist attorney" and Angelucci made some progress in court with male discrimination cases. According to Den Hollander's former colleague, Joe Serio, "in Roy's mind, Marc was guilty of encroaching on Roy's territory." After compiling this evidence, the FBI concluded Den Hollander was the killer and that he acted alone.