Texas woman arrested for alleged death threats to DC judge in Trump election interference case

(NEW YORK) — A Texas woman was arrested last week for allegedly threatening to kill the judge assigned to oversee former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election interference case in Washington, D.C., according to court records.

Abigail Jo Shry allegedly made a call to D.C. District Judge Tanya Chutkan’s chambers on Aug. 5, leaving a voicemail message with racist threats saying, “Hey you stupid slave n—– … You are in our sights, we want to kill you.”

She also allegedly “threatened to kill anyone who went after” former President Trump, an FBI affidavit says, and also threatened to kill Texas Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, all Democrats in Washington, D.C., and all people in the LGBTQ community.

“If Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you,” Shry allegedly said in the voicemail. “So tread lightly, b—- … You will be targeted personally, publicly, your family, all of it.”

Three days later, Department of Homeland Security Special Agents knocked on Shry’s door, and she admitted making the call to Judge Chutkan’s chambers but said “she had no plans to travel to Washington, D.C. or Houston to carry out anything she stated,” the affidavit says. But, she allegedly added if Rep. Jackson Lee traveled to Alvin, Texas, “then we need to worry.”

On Tuesday, a judge in the Southern District of Texas ordered Shry detained for the next 30 days — due to four other criminal charges brought against her in the past year for similar conduct, according to court records.

Shry “suffers from major depression and has a long history of substance abuse,” court records state, and her father testified she “sits on her couch daily watching the news while drinking too many beers.”

The arrest comes as Trump has only escalated his attacks against Chutkan over his Truth Social account even after she warned last Friday that attacks against the case could result in her expediting his case to trial.

ABC News reached out to the public defender’s office in Houston, Texas, that is listed as representing Shry and did not immediately receive a response.

The arrest was first reported by Bloomberg Law News.

Copyright © 2023, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.