**Man Accused of Threatening to Kill Presidential Candidates Found Dead During Verdict**
CONCORD, N.H. — Tyler Anderson, a 30-year-old man from Dover, New Hampshire, who was on trial for allegedly threatening the lives of several presidential candidates, was found dead while the jury was deliberating his verdict. The discovery was made public through court filings on Thursday.
The jury began deliberations on Tuesday after a trial that commenced on Monday. Anderson’s lawyer has not yet responded to requests for comment. A court filing revealed that “the government has learned that the defendant is deceased,” prompting prosecutors to move to dismiss the indictment.
The U.S. Attorney’s office did not disclose the names of the candidates involved. However, when Anderson was initially arrested, a spokesperson for Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy confirmed that threatening texts had been directed at his campaign. Anderson admitted to the FBI that he had sent similar texts to “multiple other campaigns,” according to court documents.
Anderson was indicted by a federal grand jury in December on three counts of sending threats using interstate commerce. Each charge carried a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The search for Anderson began when he failed to appear in court. Concord police, acting on a request from the FBI, located his car in a garage at Concord Hospital around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Deputy Chief John Thomas reported that officers detected a strong chemical smell emanating from the vehicle and called in a hazmat team. Anderson’s body was subsequently removed from the car and pronounced dead. No weapons were found, and Thomas stated that no foul play is suspected at this time.
Anderson was initially arrested on December 9 and released on December 14 under several conditions set by a federal judge. These conditions included avoiding contact with any presidential candidate and their political campaigns. Anderson, who was undergoing mental health treatment, was also required to take all prescribed medications.
Court documents reveal that Anderson received a text message from Ramaswamy’s campaign notifying him of a breakfast event in Portsmouth. In response, the campaign staff received two threatening text messages. One message threatened to shoot the candidate in the head, while the other threatened to kill everyone at the event and desecrate their corpses. Similar texts were sent to two other candidates before the Ramaswamy messages, on November 22 and December 6.
A court document filed at the time of Anderson’s arrest included a screenshot of texts from December 6, which threatened a mass shooting in response to an invitation to see a candidate “who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is.” Republican Chris Christie, who called his events “Tell it Like It Is Town Halls,” was one of the candidates targeted. A spokesperson for the Christie campaign expressed gratitude to law enforcement officials for addressing the threats.
The U.S. Department of Justice refrains from naming victims to respect their privacy and comply with obligations under the Crime Victims Rights Act, according to a DOJ spokesperson.
The trial against Anderson began last week, and jurors started deliberations on Tuesday. On that day, they informed the judge that they had reached a unanimous verdict on one count but were unable to reach a consensus on the other counts. Deliberations were canceled on Wednesday, with court officials citing an unspecified issue. Jurors were scheduled to resume deliberations at noon on Thursday, but prosecutors filed a motion to dismiss the case due to Anderson’s death.
If convicted, Anderson could have faced up to 15 years in prison.
The FBI initiated the search for Anderson on Wednesday over concerns that he might be armed and had threatened to harm himself. Concord police were notified by the FBI and began searching areas in the city for Anderson. His vehicle was eventually found in a parking garage near Concord Hospital, where he was discovered dead. The death is not considered suspicious, but the investigation is ongoing.
“It’s still under investigation at this time,” said Concord police Deputy Chief John Thomas. “We don’t think there’s any foul play, but at this time, I can’t put too much more out on it because it’s still under investigation.”
Anderson’s case has now been dismissed following his death, bringing an abrupt end to a trial that had captured significant public attention due to the nature of the threats and the high-profile individuals involved.
Source: Associated Press, WMUR News 9
