CONCORD — New Hampshire man accused of threatening lives presidential candidates He was found dead last year as a jury was deciding its verdict, according to court documents Thursday.
The jury began weighing the case against Tyler Anderson, 30, of Dover on Tuesday after a trial that began Monday. A message sent to Anderson’s attorney seeking comment has not been immediately returned. A court filing indicated that “the government has learned that the defendant has died.” Prosecutors have decided to dismiss the charge after learning of Anderson’s death.
Anderson was indicted by a federal grand jury in December on three counts of sending a threat through interstate commerce. Each count carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Federal prosecutors did not name the candidates. When Anderson was arrested, a spokesman for Republican candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said the texts were directed at his campaign.
Anderson was arrested on December 9 and released on December 14. A federal judge set several conditions for his release, including avoiding contact with any presidential candidate and his political campaigns.
Anderson, who was receiving medical treatment for mental health, was also ordered to take all prescribed medications.
According to court documents, Anderson received a text message from the candidate’s campaign notifying him about a breakfast in Portsmouth. Campaign staff received two text messages in response. One threatened to shoot the candidate in the head and the other threatened to kill everyone present at the event and desecrate their bodies.
Anderson had told the FBI in an interview that he sent similar text messages to “multiple other campaigns,” according to a court document.
Source: With information from AP
