Teresa Giudice Calls the Shooting Tragedy Involving the Judge Who Sentenced Her "Absolutely Devastating"
Judge Esther Salas' son was killed and her husband injured in a home invasion in New Jersey on Sunday.
Teresa Giudice has released a statement following the news of a shooting at the home of U.S. District Court Judge Esther Salas, who was the judge who sentenced both Teresa and Joe Giudice to prison in 2014.
The tragic incident took place at the judge's New Jersey home on Sunday (July 19), during which her husband, defense attorney Mark Anderl, was shot and wounded. Her 20-year-old son was killed during the incident, according to NBC News.
Salas was not injured in the shooting. The suspect, an attorney who reportedly had a case going in front of Salas, was later found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds, NBC News reports.
"Teresa was very shaken by the news and was very emotional when she heard about it," Teresa's attorney James Leonard Jr. said in a statement to PEOPLE on Monday (July 20). "She called me this morning at 6:30 a.m. and asked if there was any update and I told her I had read online that the son had passed away. She was very emotional when she heard that. She told me that she would be praying very heavily for Judge Salas and her family. This is absolutely devastating."
Teresa and Joe served their sentences separately. The Real Housewives of New Jersey mom was released from prison in December 2015 after serving 11 months in connection with the multiple counts of fraud. Following her release, Joe served a 41-month prison sentence after pleading guilty to mail, wire, and bankruptcy fraud charges, and he was later released in March 2019. He is currently in his native Italy after being released from an ICE center in October 2019; his deportation appeal was denied back in April.
Teresa and Joe have since separated after 20 years of marriage. Together they are the parents to four daughters: Gia, Milania, Gabriella, and Audriana.
