Who Was Roy Den Hollander & What Happened to Him? 2026 Update & Profile

Roy Den Hollander spent years cultivating a public identity as an attorney fighting what he considered discrimination against men. He filed lawsuits against ladies’ nights, women’s studies programmes and the male-only military draft, appeared on national television and presented himself as a lawyer challenging a system he believed favoured women.

Behind that public persona was a growing collection of personal grievances. Hollander’s writings contained misogynistic and racist attacks against women, judges and others he blamed for setbacks in his life. After he was diagnosed with cancer, those writings began to include thoughts about his limited future, his enemies and settling scores.

In July 2020, investigators say Hollander turned those grievances into murder. He travelled across the United States and killed California attorney Marc Angelucci, according to authorities. Eight days later, he went to the New Jersey home of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, where he killed her 20-year-old son, Daniel Anderl, and shot her husband, Mark Anderl.

Judge Salas, whom investigators believe Hollander had come to kill, survived.

The following day, Roy Den Hollander was found dead in rural New York from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He was 72.

• “The Grudge”: Dateline NBC Revisits the Murder of Daniel Anderl and the Gunman Who Targeted Judge Esther Salas September 4 2026
• Who Was Daniel Anderl & What Happened to Him? 2026 Update & Profile
• Who Was Marc Angelucci & What Happened to Him? 2026 Update & Profile

Roy Den Hollander Had an Accomplished Academic Background

Hollander’s later notoriety stood in contrast to an education and professional history that included credentials from prominent institutions.

He earned a law degree and an MBA from Columbia University and worked at points in his career in corporate law and other professional positions. He was admitted to practise law in New York.

His background meant he understood the court system that would become the principal venue for his grievances.

Before his name became associated with sensational lawsuits, Hollander had the education required for a conventional professional career. His eventual transformation into a media figure, anti-feminist litigant and suspected killer was not the product of someone unfamiliar with legal institutions.

He had spent years working within them.

A Period in Russia Became an Important Part of His Personal Story

Hollander spent time in Moscow around the end of the 1990s, working for an American consulting operation.

Joe Serio, who knew him during this period and was later interviewed about him, remembered Hollander as personable, articulate and capable of being charming.

There were also signs of his fixation on women.

Serio recalled Hollander talking about changing his appearance to make himself more attractive to women and spending considerable time pursuing women in Moscow’s bars and clubs.

Russia was undergoing major political and economic changes at the time, and Serio warned him about the risks foreigners faced while navigating Moscow’s nightlife.

Hollander nevertheless immersed himself in it.

Hollander Married a Younger Russian Woman

While in Russia, Hollander met a 24-year-old Russian woman named Alina.

They married and returned to the United States.

The relationship did not last.

Their marriage deteriorated into a contentious divorce in which both sides alleged cruel treatment. Hollander subsequently incorporated the failed marriage into the personal mythology contained in his writings.

His descriptions of his former wife were filled with hostility.

The divorce became one of several experiences Hollander used to support his belief that women had damaged his life.

His anger did not remain directed at one former partner.

It expanded into a broader hostility toward women.

His Personal Resentment Became an Anti-Feminist Campaign

Hollander began describing himself as an anti-feminist attorney.

He argued that American society and its legal institutions gave women privileges that were denied to men.

Rather than keeping those views confined to commentary, he attempted to test them in court.

He challenged gender distinctions through a series of lawsuits and became willing to use publicity surrounding the cases to build a national profile.

One of his most prominent targets was a practice familiar to bars and nightclubs across the country: ladies’ nights.

Hollander argued that offering women discounted admission or drinks while men paid full price constituted unlawful discrimination.

The litigation attracted far more publicity than legal success.

His Lawsuits Made Him a Media Personality

Hollander’s cases were unusual enough to make him a recurring television guest.

He appeared in reports and interviews discussing what he saw as discrimination against men and was willing to engage with hosts who challenged or mocked his arguments.

His media appearances reinforced his reputation as a provocative anti-feminist attorney.

Hollander appeared comfortable with confrontation.

The publicity, however, did not translate into the courtroom victories he wanted.

He lost significant cases and faced judicial decisions rejecting his arguments.

Those defeats became part of a pattern in which professional disappointment appeared to reinforce his belief that institutions and individuals were working against him.

Hollander Sued Columbia University Over Women’s Studies

His former university became another target.

Hollander sued Columbia University over its women’s studies programme, arguing that such courses discriminated against men.

The lawsuit failed.

It was one of several attempts to use constitutional or civil-rights arguments against institutions he believed provided women with preferential treatment.

His litigation increasingly reflected a worldview that divided people into those assisting his campaign and those standing in its way.

Judges who rejected his arguments could become personal targets of his anger.

Other lawyers could become rivals.

Women in positions of authority could become symbols of what he hated.

That pattern would become significant when investigators examined his conduct in 2020.

His Writings Revealed a Much Darker Side

Hollander left behind an enormous body of writing.

Investigators examined roughly 2,000 pages of material that functioned in part as memoir, manifesto and catalogue of grievances.

The writings contained attacks against women beginning with members of his own family and extending to his former wife, feminists and women in positions of authority.

They also contained racist material.

Hollander did not simply argue that particular laws discriminated against men. He used degrading language and presented women as responsible for many of the failures and disappointments he had experienced.

FBI investigators examining the writings after the murders saw a pattern of anger and blame.

His list of perceived enemies continued to grow.

A Cancer Diagnosis Changed His View of the Future

Hollander wrote that he was diagnosed with melanoma in 2018.

The diagnosis appears to have become an important factor in his thinking during his final years.

He believed he had limited time remaining.

His writings began addressing death, unfinished business and the people he considered enemies.

One passage discussed having too many enemies to settle every score and needing to prioritise.

Read before the events of July 2020, such language might have appeared to be another expression of the anger running through his writings.

After two murders and an attempted killing, investigators had reason to examine it in a different context.

Hollander appeared to be approaching the end of his life while deciding which grievances mattered most to him.

Marc Angelucci Became One of His Grievances

California attorney Marc Angelucci worked in some of the same areas of gender-discrimination law.

Angelucci advocated for male victims of domestic violence and pursued equal-protection cases involving policies that treated men and women differently.

He also worked on litigation challenging the male-only Selective Service registration system.

Angelucci had achieved progress in that field.

Investigators came to believe Hollander resented him for it.

The two men therefore illustrate two different paths within the same broad area of legal activism.

Angelucci’s friends described him as focused on achieving equality through litigation.

Hollander’s writings showed that professional competition could become another personal grievance.

Authorities concluded that Angelucci eventually became a target.

Hollander Travelled Across the Country in July 2020

In early July 2020, Hollander travelled from the East Coast to California.

Investigators later reconstructed his journey using transportation records and surveillance footage.

He was captured on camera at a train station in San Bernardino on July 7.

Angelucci lived in the San Bernardino Mountains, around 20 miles from the station.

Four days later, on July 11, a man arrived at Angelucci’s home.

He appeared to be making a delivery.

The visitor insisted that Angelucci come to the door to sign for a package.

When Angelucci appeared, he was shot at close range with a .380-calibre handgun.

The gunman escaped.

Angelucci was 52 years old.

Investigators Say Hollander Murdered Marc Angelucci

At the time of Angelucci’s death, police did not know who had killed him.

The crime looked targeted. The attacker had not selected a random house or victim. He had used the package to bring Angelucci to the door.

Investigators had few immediate leads.

Hollander, meanwhile, was seen on surveillance footage in Southern California around the period of the murder.

Authorities concluded that he returned east after the killing.

The evidence connecting Hollander to Angelucci would not emerge until after another family was attacked.

Eight days after Angelucci died, a deliveryman appeared at another front door.

This time, it was in New Jersey.

Judge Esther Salas Had Become Another Target

Hollander knew Judge Esther Salas through a federal lawsuit.

He had been involved in litigation challenging the requirement that men, but not women, register for the Selective Service System.

The case came before Salas in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey.

Hollander became dissatisfied with its progress.

He blamed Salas.

His writings attacked her with racist and misogynistic language and portrayed her judicial performance as part of the broader system he believed was working against him.

Investigators concluded that what began as dissatisfaction with a judge handling his case developed into a personal grudge.

By July 2020, authorities believe Hollander had decided to act on it.

Hollander Went to Salas’ Home Disguised as a Delivery Driver

On Sunday, July 19, Hollander went to the Salas family home in North Brunswick, New Jersey.

He posed as a delivery driver and carried what appeared to be a package.

The method mirrored the attack on Marc Angelucci eight days earlier.

Hollander rang the doorbell.

Salas was downstairs with her 20-year-old son, Daniel Anderl.

Daniel ran upstairs to answer it.

His father, attorney Mark Anderl, was nearby.

According to the FBI’s reconstruction, the supposed deliveryman asked Daniel to get Judge Salas so she could sign for an envelope.

Then the shooting began.

Hollander Killed Daniel Anderl and Shot His Father

Daniel was shot in the chest.

Mark was shot three times and suffered severe injuries, including a serious abdominal wound.

Salas heard the gunfire from elsewhere in the house.

By the time she reached the entrance, the shooter had left.

Daniel could not be saved.

Mark was rushed to hospital and underwent multiple operations.

Investigators believe Hollander had not gone to the house intending to murder Daniel.

The evidence pointed toward Salas as his intended victim.

The 20-year-old had answered the door meant for his mother.

Hollander Failed to Reach Judge Salas

Hollander’s apparent plan did not reach its intended conclusion.

Daniel and Mark encountered him at the entrance before he could get to Salas.

Daniel’s parents later described their son’s actions during the shooting as an attempt to protect his father.

Hollander fled without reaching the judge.

Salas was physically unharmed.

For law enforcement, however, the shooting of a federal judge’s family created an urgent security crisis.

The FBI joined the investigation and considered several possible explanations, including terrorism and a grievance connected to Salas’ judicial work.

Investigators began examining people who had made threatening or hostile statements concerning the judge.

They would not need long to find a major lead.

Hollander Drove Away From New Jersey

After the shooting, Hollander left North Brunswick.

The next known chapter of his journey took him north into New York State.

He travelled to Sullivan County in the Catskills.

Hollander had a personal connection to the area. In his writings, he had referred to a family cabin in the Catskills community of Beaverkill.

Why he selected the precise place where his life ended has never been established through his own testimony.

He would not live long enough to explain it.

On July 20, only one day after Daniel’s murder, police received a call concerning a body on a remote road.

Roy Den Hollander Was Found Dead in the Catskills

New York State Police went to Ragin Road, a dead-end road in a rural section of Sullivan County.

They found a man lying dead in the grass near an unoccupied vehicle.

Identification in his wallet established that he was Roy Den Hollander.

A Walther semiautomatic pistol was found close to his body.

He had suffered a gunshot wound to the head.

Investigators determined that the wound was self-inflicted.

Roy Den Hollander had died by suicide.

He was 72 years old.

At that point, local police did not yet understand that the apparent suicide was connected to a major federal investigation unfolding in New Jersey.

What they found inside his vehicle changed that.

Police Found a Package Addressed to Judge Salas

Investigators searching Hollander’s vehicle discovered a FedEx envelope addressed to Judge Esther Salas in New Jersey.

One of the investigators knew about the shooting at Salas’ home.

New York State Police contacted the FBI.

The discovery created a direct connection between the dead attorney and the judge whose family had been attacked less than a day earlier.

The firearm also attracted attention.

Hollander had used a .380-calibre weapon, the same calibre used during the shooting at the Salas residence.

Investigators now had a suspect who had died before they had been able to identify and arrest him.

The contents of his vehicle produced another surprise.

Marc Angelucci’s Address Was Also Among His Possessions

Police found information relating to a residence in San Bernardino County, California.

When investigators ran the address, they discovered it was connected to a recent homicide.

It was Marc Angelucci’s home.

The California attorney had been murdered there eight days before Daniel Anderl was killed.

The similarities between the crimes now had a suspect connecting them.

Both involved a gunman posing as a delivery worker.

Both brought victims to their front doors.

Both involved .380-calibre firearms.

Hollander had travelled to California before Angelucci’s death.

He had a grievance against Angelucci.

He also had a documented grievance against Salas.

Authorities concluded that Hollander was responsible for both attacks.

Investigators Discovered Other Names

The material Hollander left behind caused another concern.

Investigators discovered information about additional people, including other judges and individuals associated with the medical profession.

Information concerning Janet DiFiore, then chief judge of New York’s highest court, was among the material reportedly recovered.

Authorities warned people whose names appeared in Hollander’s records.

They could not know whether he had been researching them for benign reasons or considering further violence.

The FBI found no evidence of an accomplice and concluded Hollander had acted alone.

There is also no publicly established evidence that he murdered anyone beyond the victims connected to the California and New Jersey attacks.

His suicide ensured that investigators could never ask him how far his plans extended.

Hollander Never Faced a Criminal Trial

Roy Den Hollander was never arrested for the shootings.

He was never arraigned.

He was never put before a jury.

He was never sentenced.

He died before investigators could bring criminal charges against him.

That left authorities to reconstruct his final acts without a confession or courtroom testimony.

They relied on his travel history, surveillance images, evidence from the shootings, the possessions recovered after his death and the thousands of pages he had written.

The resulting investigation linked him to Marc Angelucci’s murder and identified him as the man who killed Daniel Anderl and wounded Mark Anderl.

His death meant neither family would see him prosecuted.

What Happened to Roy Den Hollander?

Roy Den Hollander died on July 20, 2020, in Sullivan County, New York.

His death was ruled a suicide caused by a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

He was found only one day after the attack on the Salas family and nine days after Marc Angelucci was murdered.

Hollander was 72.

He is therefore not in prison and was never convicted of the murders attributed to him.

His death occurred before investigators had assembled the evidence connecting the two attacks.

The case against him was built after he was dead.

His Suicide Left Questions That Could Never Be Answered

Hollander’s death deprived investigators of the opportunity to interrogate the person at the centre of the case.

They could reconstruct where he travelled.

They could study what he wrote.

They could establish his relationships to the people he targeted.

They could examine his weapons and possessions.

What they could not do was ask him about his plans.

It remains impossible to know the full extent of the violence he contemplated.

The additional names found among his belongings made that question more serious.

Investigators notified potential targets, but Hollander took the complete explanation of his intentions with him.

Hollander’s Final Campaign Had Lasting Consequences

The known consequences of Hollander’s actions were severe.

Marc Angelucci was dead at 52.

Daniel Anderl was dead at 20.

Mark Anderl had been shot three times and faced a long recovery.

Esther Salas survived an attack investigators believe had been intended for her and lost her only child because of it.

Hollander’s own life ended by suicide the following day.

There would be no trial to provide a formal judicial conclusion to the killings.

The most significant legal consequence instead came from the family Hollander attacked.

The Man Who Targeted a Judge Changed Judicial Security

After Daniel’s murder, Salas began campaigning to restrict public access to the personal information of judges and their families.

Hollander had demonstrated how a grievance born in a courtroom could move to a judge’s private residence.

New Jersey enacted Daniel’s Law in November 2020, establishing protections for the personal information of judges, prosecutors and law-enforcement personnel.

Congress later passed the Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Act, which became federal law in 2022 and expanded protections for federal judges and their immediate families.

The result gave Hollander’s final acts a legacy he could not have intended.

He had developed a grudge against a federal judge and travelled to her home to attack her.

He instead killed her son.

Roy Den Hollander’s name became associated with the violence that exposed a weakness in judicial security.

The name attached to the reforms designed to close that weakness was Daniel Anderl.

More “The Grudge”

• “The Grudge”: Dateline NBC Revisits the Murder of Daniel Anderl and the Gunman Who Targeted Judge Esther Salas September 4 2026
• Who Was Daniel Anderl & What Happened to Him? 2026 Update & Profile
• Who Was Marc Angelucci & What Happened to Him? 2026 Update & Profile
• Who Was Roy Den Hollander & What Happened to Him? 2026 Update & Profile