Teresa Giudice reacts after judge that put her in prison loses son in shocking shooting

Real Housewives of New Jersey star Teresa Giudice is speaking out about the shooting that took the life of Judge Esther Salas’ 20-year-old son.

Judge Salas presided over the trials of Teresa and her husband Joe for various financial crimes. Teresa was ultimately sentenced to 15 months in prison.

She served her time at the Federal Correction Institution in Danbury, CT, and was released two months early in 2015. Joe was sentenced to 41 months in prison and was deported to Italy after his release last year.

The tragic shooting

On July 19, self-described “men’s rights activist” Roy Den Hollander was reported to have knocked on the door of Salas’ home. When Salas’ husband Mark Anderl answered, Den Hollander shot him and the couple’s son, Daniel.

Mark Anderl was critically injured but survived the shooting and remains in the hospital. Unfortunately, Daniel Anderl did not survive.

Judge Salas, who was in the basement at the time of the shooting, was uninjured.

Roy Den Hollander had apparently been diagnosed with a terminal illness shortly before the attack. He had worked as a lawyer and argued cases that he felt aligned with his anti-feminist views. It is believed that he was motivated in part by his racist and misogynistic views.

Roy Den Hollander was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound shortly after the attack.

Teresa Giudice reacts

Teresa’s attorney James Leonard explained that Teresa was devastated to hear the news.

“She called me this morning at 6:30 a.m. and asked if there was any update and I told her I had read online that the son had passed away. She was very emotional when she heard that,” he said.

Leonard also recalled a specific moment of kindness between Esther Salas and Teresa.

“I remember very vividly an interaction that I had with Judge Salas about a week or two after Teresa’s mother had died back in 2017,” he said.

“We were on a conference call addressing a minor court-related issue and before the call ended Judge Salas asked me to pass along her sympathies to Teresa regarding her mother’s passing. She was very warm and compassionate and I remember thinking she seemed genuinely sad for Teresa. I know that Teresa greatly appreciated her kind words during that difficult time.”

In a statement to TMZ, he elaborated, saying, “Knowing Teresa the way I do, I think if she were to have an opportunity to see Judge Salas, I think she would hug her and pray with her.”

Real Housewives of New Jersey is currently on hiatus on Bravo. 2