A tragic incident has emerged from Minnesota, USA, where a man named Anthony Nephew, 46, reportedly killed four family members before taking his own life following the November 5 election that resulted in President-elect Donald Trump's victory.
Authorities revealed that Nephew's actions stemmed from frustration over Trump’s election. Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa confirmed that Nephew had a "pattern of mental health issues." The tragic discovery of five bodies across two homes in Duluth, a city north of Minneapolis, shocked the local community.
On Thursday afternoon, police found Nephew’s ex-partner, Erin Abramson, 47, and their 15-year-old son, Jacob, dead in one residence from apparent gunshot wounds. Following further investigation, officers discovered Nephew’s current wife, Kathryn, 45, and their 7-year-old son, Oliver, dead from similar injuries in their family home nearby.
Reports reveal that Nephew had been outspoken on social media about his left-wing views and anti-Trump sentiments. His posts suggested significant personal distress, with references to conflicts over religion and fear of "religious zealots." In a July post, he expressed his fear of being targeted for his beliefs, saying, "I am terrified of religious zealots inflicting their misguided beliefs on me and my family." His concerns about women's rights under conservative policies were also evident, as he criticized Republicans for "making it harder for women to leave" abusive situations, mentioning the dystopian novel *The Handmaid’s Tale* as an ominous reference to the future he feared.
Nephew, an Independent voter, lamented the polarizing political landscape in the U.S., expressing disappointment in what he saw as a "binary choice between fascism and not fascism."
In an op-ed for the *Duluth News Tribune* in 2021, he had previously voiced concerns over his mental health challenges, stating, “For millions of Americans, a breakdown leads to suicide — or homicide before suicide.” He highlighted the stigma surrounding mental health in the U.S. and criticized the lack of societal support for those struggling, saying, "Mental health in this country is stigmatised, ignored, or treated as a burden for the individual to bear alone."
Local authorities have not yet determined an exact motive for the tragic events, though they assure that no further threat exists to the community. The investigation remains ongoing as the community mourns the loss of innocent lives in a tragedy that has brought mental health issues and political divisions sharply into focus.
