Family, Friends Of New York Judge Reject Suicide As Possible Cause Of Death

HARLEM, NY — Family and longtime colleagues of NY State Court of Appeals Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam — who was found dead last week on the shores of the Hudson River — are challenging initial police beliefs that Abdus-Salaam may have committed suicide.

Adbus-Salaam's husband, Rev. Gregory Jacobs of the Episcopal Diocese of Newark, released a statement criticizing the media and "others" for speculating that Abdus-Salaam may have killed herself and for reporting unsubstantiated comments about her mental state.

“Those of us who loved Sheila and knew her well do not believe that these unfounded conclusions have any basis in reality," Jacobs said in the statement.

The Medical Examiner's office has not yet announced an official cause of death for Abdus-Salaam and the NYPD is investigating the death as suspicious. The day after Abdus-Salaam's body was discovered, law enforcement sources told Patch privately that the judge likely took her own life. (For more New York City news delivered straight to your inbox sign up for Patch's free newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

During a press conference last week, NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said that the death does not appear to be a homicide, as Abdus-Salaam suffered no apparent injuries and was not believed to have been in the water for a long time.

Police recently unearthed surveillance camera footage that shows Abdus-Salaam walking around Harlem in the vicinity of Riverbank State Park the night before her body was found, New York 1 reported. Police sources told New York 1 reporter Dean Meminger that they believe Abdus-Salaam walked alone around the park for several hours, but found no footage of her being attacked or jumping into the river.

Like her husband, some former colleagues and friends of Abdus-Salaam believe that her death could not have been suicide.

"I am totally confused, and I just cannot understand. There has to be some kind of foul play," former Assemblyman Keith Wright told New York 1.

The NYPD harbor unit recovered Abdus-Salaam's body Wednesday, April 12, at 1:45 p.m. from the shore on the New York side of the Hudson River, police told Patch. She was transported to West 125th and Marginal streets, where paramedics pronounced her dead.

After her death, tributes for Abdus-Salaam began pouring in from figures in New York's political and judiciary circles. The judge was remembered as a "pioneer" and "trailblazer" who established herself as a respected jurist and a champion for equal justice.

"Justice Sheila Abdus-Salaam was a trailblazing jurist whose life in public service was in pursuit of a more fair and more just New York for all," New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.

Photo by Hans Pennink/Associated Press