Akinlabi Emmanuel
A tragic incident occurred following the November 5, 2016, U.S. presidential election, in which Anthony Nephew, a 46-year-old man from Minnesota, shot and killed his wife, ex-partner, and two children. The shooting took place after the election of President-elect Donald Trump, with authorities noting that Nephew had expressed anger over the outcome.
According to Duluth Police Chief Mike Ceynowa, Nephew had a history of mental health issues, which may have contributed to the tragedy. On November 10, 2016, authorities discovered the bodies of five individuals across two homes in Duluth, Minnesota.
Nephew’s ex-partner, 47-year-old Erin Abramson, and their 15-year-old son, Jacob Nephew, were found dead from gunshot wounds in their home. Shortly after identifying Anthony Nephew as the suspect, police located his wife, 45-year-old Kathryn Nephew, and their 7-year-old son, Oliver Nephew, also dead from gunshot wounds in their family home nearby.
Before the tragedy, Nephew had been active on social media, sharing left-wing and anti-Trump posts, which might have reflected his emotional state leading up to the horrific event.
“My mental health and the world can no longer peacefully coexist, and a lot of the reason is religion,” Anthony Nephew wrote in July.
“I am terrified of religious zealots inflicting their misguided beliefs on me and my family. I have intrusive thoughts of being burned at the stake as a witch or crucified on a burning cross.
“Having people actually believe that I or my child are Satan, or the anti-Christ, or whatever their favourite boogeyman they are afraid of this week.”
In another post, he accused Republicans of “making it harder for women to leave” abusive relationships.
“Gilead here we come,” he wrote, referencing The Handmaid’s Tale, a dystopian novel turned Hulu series in which women, stripped of their rights, are forced to reproduce for the ruling class.
Anthony Nephew also shared other political posts, including an image of former President Barack Obama, Trump, President Joe Biden, and Vice President Kamala Harris. The word “hate” was under Trump’s face, while the words “hope,” “heal,” and “grow” corresponded with the Democratic politicians.
“Not that anyone cares, but as an Independent voter, I would really like to see both the political parties in our country pick better candidates,” he wrote in July. “We can do better than a binary choice between fascism and not fascism.”
Anthony Nephew had previously issued a chilling warning about his struggles with mental health, writing in an op-ed for the Duluth News Tribune in 2021, “For millions of Americans, a breakdown leads to suicide — or homicide before suicide.”
“Mental health in this country is stigmatised, ignored, or treated as a burden for the individual to bear alone, with little help and even less understanding,” he wrote.
“Americans deny they have mental health struggles — because they have to, because they’re told to, or because they don’t realise their mind is broken.”
Police in Duluth, a city of nearly 90,000 residents about 135 miles north of Minneapolis, have not yet determined a motive for the shootings.
Police said there is no ongoing threat to the community.
