A 30-year-old New Hampshire man on trial for threatening to kill a presidential candidate was found dead in his car on Wednesday.
Tyler Anderson’s trial began on Monday, but news of his death broke while jurors were still deliberating their verdict, The Associated Press reported. reportAnderson was taking prescription medication and receiving mental health treatment at the time of his death, but it was unclear whether this contributed to his death, the outlet noted.
A New Hampshire man charged with threatening the life of a presidential candidate was found dead while a jury was reaching a verdict, according to court documents. https://t.co/BX9pvCtYfU
— Associated Press (@AP) June 27, 2024
Federal prosecutors dismissed the charges following Anderson’s death, but police determined there was nothing suspicious. report. (RELATED: Pamela Smart finally admits involvement in sensational 1990 murder plot against husband)
According to reports, the government indicted Anderson in December 2023 on three counts of sending threats through interstate commerce, each of which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, three years of probation, and a $250,000 fine.
Federal prosecutors declined to name the candidates who allegedly made the threats at the time of the indictment, but a spokesman for Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign claimed at the time that the text messages had been sent to them, news outlets reported.
According to the Associated Press, prosecutors allege Anderson sent similar text messages to two other campaigns, and one court document includes screenshots of a text message threatening to carry out a mass shooting at a Chris Christie campaign event, also listing candidate Nikki Haley as one of the candidates who received threats.
Anderson’s lawyers argued that some of their client’s messages were protected by the First Amendment, according to the Associated Press.
