John Jefferson
Inset: Abigail Jo Shry (Brazoria County Sheriff’s Office). Left: President-elect Donald Trump speaks as he arrives for a meeting with the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon). Right: This undated photo provided by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts shows U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan (Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts via AP, File).
A 44-year-old Texas woman admitted on Wednesday to threatening a federal judge and U.S. Congresswoman in a racist voice message, according to authorities.
On Aug. 5, 2023, Abigail Jo Shry called the chambers of U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who was in charge of former President Donald Trump’s case, accusing him of trying to overturn the 2020 election, and left a message on the voicemail, according to a complaint. Per the feds, Shry started out, “Hey you stupid slave n—-” and proceeded to threaten anyone who went after Trump along with all Democrats in Washington D.C. and all LGBTQ people. She also threatened Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died earlier this year.
Shry made the following statements:
- “You are in our sights, we want to kill you.”
- “If Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you, so tread lightly, b—-.”
- “You will be targeted personally, publicly, your family, all of it.”
Since she used her cellphone, Department of Homeland Security agents easily tracked her to her home in Alvin, which is the Houston area, a couple of days after the call. Shry admitted to leaving the message on Chutkan’s voicemail. But she said she had no intention of traveling to Washington D.C. or Houston to carry out any of her threats. But she said if Lee would travel to Alvin, then “we need to worry.” Cops then took her into custody.
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On Wednesday, she pleaded guilty to transmission in interstate commerce containing a threat to injure the person of another. During the hearing, she reportedly said she thought the statements she made on the message were protected by the First Amendment.
“She was wrong, and today’s plea demonstrates how the Southern District of Texas has no patience for those who target and threaten public servants — ignorance of the Constitution notwithstanding,” Alamdar S. Hamdani, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said in a statement.
As Law&Crime previously reported, U.S. Magistrate Judge Sam S. Sheldon noted at a bond hearing after her arrest that Shry has prior violations of probations, parole, or supervised release and said the defendant has been charged four times in the last year for “similar conduct.”
Brazoria County court records show that Shry pleaded guilty in September 2022 to criminal mischief, resisting arrest, search or transport, and interfering with public duties.
“On September 20, 2022, she was convicted in two separate cases (misdemeanor resisting arrest and misdemeanor criminal mischief) and sentenced to 30 days imprisonment. Recently, on July 11, 2023, she was charged with misdemeanor threat causing fear of imminent serious bodily injury. It is alleged that she committed the instant offense while on bond for the July 11 incident, less than one month after it occurred,” the magistrate judge wrote.
The judge said that Shry, a mother of two, “suffers from major depression and has a long history of substance abuse” and lives with her boyfriend, who is “presently charged with a family assault against her.”
Shry’s father testified that his daughter has a drinking and news consumption problem.
“Mr. Shry believes that Defendant is a non-violent alcoholic. He testified that she sits on her couch daily watching the news while drinking too many beers. She then becomes agitated by the news and starts calling people and threatening them,” the court recounted Mark Shry’s testimony. “Mr. Shry stated that his daughter never leaves her residence and therefore would not act upon her threats.”
Matt Naham contributed to this report
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