A Texas woman has been arrested for threatening to kill a federal judge overseeing former president Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 case, according to court records.
On Aug. 5, Abigail Jo Shry, 43, allegedly called the chambers of Judge Tanya Chutkan — who is African American — at around 7:51 p.m. and left a threatening voicemail, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Southern District of Texas.
“Hey you stupid slave n—-,” Shry allegedly began in the message, before threatening to kill anyone challenging Trump, including Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Washington, D.C. Democrats, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“You are in our sights, we want to kill you,” Shry said, according to the complaint. “If Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you, so tread lightly, b—-,” she continued, adding, “’You will be targeted personally, publicly, your family, all of it.”
Donald Trump Hit with New Jan. 6 Indictment After the ‘Most Wide-Ranging’ Investigation in DOJ History
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(761x0:763x2)/Texas-Woman-Charged-With-Threatening-to-Kill-Federal-Judge-Overseeing-Trump-Election-Fraud-Case-081723-3-d3d37196809d4ecd8f10e400492c0cde.jpg)
U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan. Chutkan is initially assigned to the election fraud case against former President Donald Trump.
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts via AP
Special agents from the Department of Homeland Security went to Shry’s house in Alvin, Texas, on Aug. 8 and interviewed her voluntarily, according to the complaint, which added that she acknowledged the phone number was hers and that she made the call to Chutkan’s chambers.
Shry also claimed she did not plan to travel to Washington, D.C. or Houston, Texas, to act on the threats, but warned that if Rep. Jackson Lee showed up in Alvin, “then we need to worry,” the complaint said.
On Wednesday, Shry was denied bail and ordered to be held in custody for at least 30 days, reported The New York Times.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories
Two days before Shry’s phone call, Trump pleaded not guilty to four counts of conspiracy and obstruction in Washington, D.C. related to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot and other efforts to overturn the 2020 election.
The following day, Trump posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, “IF YOU GO AFTER ME, I’M COMING AFTER YOU!!”
This prompted Chutkan to impose a protective order on the case limiting the amount of evidence the former president and his legal team could publicly disclose.
Trump’s Jan. 6 Indictment Describes Six Unnamed ‘Co-Conspirators’: Here’s What We Know About Them So Far
Chutkan also stated that Trump’s legal team should fight the case in the courtroom and “not on the internet,” reported Associated Press.
Despite this, on Monday — after Shry allegedly made her calls — the former president called Chutkan “highly partisan” and “ VERY BIASED & UNFAIR!” on Truth Social.
Trump is currently under investigation for a total of 91 criminal counts across four probes, some of which could result in prison time if convicted. On Monday he was charged with 13 felony counts in Fulton County, Georgia, including breaking the state’s RICO Act, which comes with a minimum five-year sentence.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education