ALLEN, Texas — A Texas woman convicted of threatening to kill the federal judge overseeing former President Donald Trump's election interference case has gone missing after failing to report to prison, prompting authorities to issue a bench warrant for her arrest.
Abigail Shry, 38, of Allen, Texas, was scheduled to begin a 27-month sentence at a federal correctional facility in Tallahassee, Florida, on Tuesday, February 18, 2026. According to CBS News, Shry did not appear as required, leading a judge to authorize federal agents to locate and apprehend her. The U.S. Attorney's Office in the Southern District of Texas confirmed the details surrounding her guilty plea but had no immediate comment on her current whereabouts.
Shry's legal troubles stem from a series of threatening phone calls she made in August 2023, targeting U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who presided over Trump's 2020 election subversion case in Washington, D.C. Prosecutors said Shry called Chutkan's office and left a voicemail laced with racial epithets, referring to the judge as a “stupid slave [epithet].” She continued, “If Trump doesn’t get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you, so tread lightly…” according to court documents reviewed by the New York Post.
The threats did not stop there. Shry also left a menacing message for the late Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, a Democratic congresswoman from Texas, stating she wanted to kill her and would target her “personally, publicly, your family, all of it,” prosecutors alleged. Jackson Lee, who was Black like Judge Chutkan, passed away 11 months later in July 2024 at age 74 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Shry's calls extended to broader groups, including a direct threat to “all democrats in Washington D.C. and all people in the LGBTQ community,” as outlined in federal charges.
In a police report obtained by reporters, Shry was described as having “contacted several U.S. elected officials in Congress and has made similar threats towards them pertaining to if Donald Trump is not reelected as president, they will also see an attack of the U.S. Capitol.” Additionally, in a July 2023 voicemail to two Houston-area state senators, Shry allegedly warned of “war on the Texas Capitol” if Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton faced impeachment, according to court records.
Shry pleaded guilty in November 2024 to one count of transmission in interstate commerce containing a threat to injure the person of another, a charge handled by U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani's office. During her detention hearing in August 2023, shortly after the Chutkan threat, federal prosecutors expressed grave concerns about her potential for escalation. “There’s no way to gauge what’s going to happen here, except to look at what she’s done in the past six months,” one prosecutor said, drawing a chilling historical parallel.
The prosecutor continued, “In this particular instance … I don’t want to be that FBI agent that didn’t go check on Lee Harvey Oswald two days before John Kennedy was assassinated. That happened. And that’s the footnote in history.” He added, “And I’m standing here before you today because this defendant is unmoored and I believe that there’s going to be more.” These remarks underscored the perceived volatility of Shry's actions, which authorities linked to her strong political views on Trump's reelection.
In her defense, Shry argued during a hearing that her statements were protected under the First Amendment as free speech and that she had no intention of following through on the threats. Her attorney could not be reached for comment on the recent developments, and Shry's family members in Allen, a suburb north of Dallas, declined to speak with reporters when contacted at their home.
The backdrop to Shry's threats was the high-profile federal case against Trump, in which Judge Chutkan oversaw charges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. That case, one of several facing the former president, was paused during Trump's successful 2024 campaign but remains a flashpoint for supporters and critics alike. Shry's calls came amid a surge in threats against public officials following Trump's indictments, with the FBI reporting a significant uptick in such incidents nationwide during that period.
Authorities have not disclosed Shry's exact location since her failure to report, but the bench warrant empowers federal marshals and other agencies to pursue her across state lines. Allen police, where Shry resided, said they are assisting in the search but provided no further details. Neighbors described Shry as reclusive, with one longtime resident noting she had become increasingly vocal about politics in the years leading up to 2023.
“She'd post a lot on social media about Trump and elections, but I never thought it would go this far,” the neighbor said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Another local official in Collin County, where Allen is located, emphasized the community's commitment to cooperating with federal investigators. “We take threats against officials seriously, no matter the motivation,” the official said.
This incident highlights ongoing concerns about politically motivated violence in the U.S., particularly in the wake of the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot and subsequent election-related tensions. The Department of Justice has prosecuted hundreds of cases involving threats to judges, lawmakers, and election workers since 2020, with penalties ranging from fines to lengthy prison terms. Shry's case, while not involving physical action, fits into this pattern, as prosecutors argued her words could incite real harm.
Experts in political extremism have pointed to the role of online rhetoric in amplifying such threats. “When individuals feel their political worldview is under siege, it can lead to impulsive and dangerous communications,” said Dr. Elena Ramirez, a professor of criminology at the University of Texas at Dallas, in a recent interview. Ramirez noted that while most threats do not escalate, the volume has strained law enforcement resources.
As the search for Shry continues, questions linger about how she evaded reporting to the facility and whether she poses an ongoing risk. Federal officials have urged the public to report any sightings to the U.S. Marshals Service hotline. In a statement, the Southern District of Texas reiterated its commitment to protecting judicial officers, stating that “threats against the rule of law will be met with swift enforcement.”
The case also serves as a reminder of the personal toll on targeted individuals. Judge Chutkan, who has faced numerous security challenges, continues to preside over sensitive cases without public comment on specific threats. Similarly, the memory of Rep. Jackson Lee's service is honored in Houston, where community leaders have called for renewed vigilance against hate-fueled intimidation.
With Shry at large, law enforcement agencies are coordinating efforts to apprehend her before she can potentially act on past rhetoric. The outcome of this manhunt could influence how similar cases are handled moving forward, especially as political discourse remains heated ahead of future elections. For now, residents in Allen and beyond await resolution to what has become a stark example of the intersection between free expression and public safety.