The man, who appeared in one of the most haunting images of a 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, reportedly shot himself before facing state drug charges in court. Teddy Von Nukem has died more than five years after a viral image showed him and others brandishing tiki flashlights at an ugly demonstration that turned violent, according to The Daily Beast reports.
He was scheduled to appear in federal court in Arizona on Jan. 30 on drug trafficking charges, but he skipped the first day and instead shot himself outside his Missouri home, according to reports. An autopsy report, which was obtained by The Daily Beast, indicated that suicide notes from authorities and his children were found at the scene.
“However, there are some inconsistencies in the handwriting,” the coroner’s report said. Von Nukem, 35, was one of hundreds of people who attended an Aug. 12, 2017 rally that brought together various white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups and led to counterprotester Heather Heather Heyer died. Von Nucum denied being part of an extremist group that helped organize right-wing rallies, but was a supporter of Donald Trump, according to a report by the Springfield News chief at the time. “This rally is not a racist rally,” he claimed in 2017. “This is a rally to save our history.”
“I don’t mind showing solidarity with them,” von Nucum added, noting that white people are disadvantaged in today’s society. In one photo, von Nukem can be seen wearing a black shirt and holding a tiki flashlight, according to Tuesday’s News Leader report.
According to the News-Leader, von Nukem will be brought to justice for his involvement in federal drug trafficking.
He tried to bring 15 kilograms of pills that tested positive for fentanyl into the U.S. from Mexico in 2021, the indictment said. While he denied knowing the drugs contained fentanyl, he admitted to trying to smuggle contraband, the indictment said.
His obituary said he was a married father of five who “loved visiting people, talking to strangers, meditating, playing videos and board games, but most of all he loved going out with each of his daughters every night.” Play.” Dance when he comes home from work. ’ reported the news chief.
“Some people know Ted and know he’s a different type of person and sees things differently, but he’ll take his shirt off if you ask or need to,” the obituary continued.
The obituary appears to have been removed from the funeral home’s website Tuesday night. A judge issued a warrant for Von Nukem’s arrest after he failed to appear in court, but the case was dropped when he was found dead, The Daily Beast reported.
