Inset: Abigail Jo Shry (Brazoria County Sheriff's Office). Left: President-elect Donald Trump speaks as he arrives for a meeting with the House GOP conference, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon). Right: This undated photo provided by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts shows U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan (Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts via AP, File).
A Capitol rioter from Texas who threatened the federal judge overseeing the now-dismissed case against President Donald Trump over his alleged role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack was supposed to report to prison on Tuesday.
But Abigail Jo Shry didn't show up to begin serving her 27-month sentence for threatening to kill U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, cops say.
Now a federal judge in Texas has issued a warrant for her arrest.
"The Court has been notified that Defendant, Abigail Jo Shry, has failed to self-surrender on Tuesday, February 17, 2026 by 2:00 p.m. to the Federal Bureau of Prisons," U.S. District Judge Keith P. Ellison wrote. "It is ordered that an arrest warrant be issued for the arrest of Defendant, Abigail Jo Shry. The U.S. Marshal's Office is directed to apprehend and deliver Abigail Jo Shry to the Federal Bureau of Prisons – FCI Tallahassee, 501 Capital Circle NE, Tallahassee, FL 32301."
News of the warrant was first reported by CBS News.
Shry's attorney Brandon G. Leonard on Monday asked Ellison for an extension, but the judge denied it. Her attorney said the 45-year-old Shry was in jail on an unrelated arrest warrant between Jan. 8 and Feb. 6. CBS reported the warrants stemmed from Shry allegedly threatening two Texas state senators that there would be "war on the Texas Capitol" if state Attorney General Ken Paxton was impeached.
Leonard said the time in jail "substantially disrupted Ms. Shry's ability to prepare for surrender and arrange her personal and family affairs." He wrote that his client has elderly parents, including a father who "recently developed medical issues."
"She requires additional time to assist with their care and to responsibly transition her affairs before reporting to federal custody," Leonard wrote.
Shry requested the judge give her at least another 30 days before she had to report. But Ellison denied the request, and issued the warrant when she failed to show up.
After Ellison issued the warrant, Leonard filed a motion to withdraw as her attorney writing that his "representation in this matter has concluded."
As Law&Crime previously reported, Shry in November received a prison sentence of 27 months. Shry appeared stunned at the sentence, according to a courtroom report from CBS News. She reportedly said she had "a fear of her 17-year-old son being drafted into a war for her actions," even though the draft ended over 50 years ago.
In November 2024, Shry pleaded guilty to transmission in interstate commerce containing a threat to injure the person of another.
On Aug. 5, 2023, Shry called the chambers of Chutkan, who was overseeing Trump's Jan. 6 case in Washington, D.C., and left a threatening message on the voicemail, according to a federal complaint. Per the feds, Shry started by saying, "Hey you stupid slave n—" and proceeded to threaten anyone who went after Trump along with all Democrats in Washington, D.C., and all LGBTQ people. She also threatened Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who died in 2024.
Shry made the following statements:
- "You are in our sights, we want to kill you."
- "If Trump doesn't get elected in 2024, we are coming to kill you, so tread lightly, b—."
- "You will be targeted personally, publicly, your family, all of it."
Since Shry used her cellphone, Department of Homeland Security agents easily tracked her to her home in Alvin, in the Houston area, a couple of days after the call. Shry admitted to leaving the message on Chutkan's voicemail. She said she had no intention of traveling to Washington, D.C., or Houston to carry out any of her threats. But she said if Lee would travel to Alvin, then "we need to worry." Cops then took her into custody.
During her plea hearing, she reportedly said she thought the statements she made in the message were protected by the First Amendment.
"She was wrong, and today's plea demonstrates how the Southern District of Texas has no patience for those who target and threaten public servants — ignorance of the Constitution notwithstanding," Alamdar S. Hamdani, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Texas, said in a statement at the time of her pleading.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Sam S. Sheldon noted at a bond hearing after her arrest that Shry has prior violations of probations, parole, or supervised release and said the defendant has been charged four times in a year for "similar conduct."
Brazoria County court records show that Shry pleaded guilty in September 2022 to criminal mischief, resisting arrest, and interfering with public duties.
"On September 20, 2022, she was convicted in two separate cases (misdemeanor resisting arrest and misdemeanor criminal mischief) and sentenced to 30 days imprisonment. Recently, on July 11, 2023, she was charged with misdemeanor threat causing fear of imminent serious bodily injury. It is alleged that she committed the instant offense while on bond for the July 11 incident, less than one month after it occurred," the magistrate judge wrote.
The judge said that Shry, a mother of two, "suffers from major depression and has a long history of substance abuse" and lives with her boyfriend, who is "presently charged with a family assault against her."
Shry's father testified that his daughter has a drinking and news consumption problem.
"Mr. Shry believes that Defendant is a non-violent alcoholic. He testified that she sits on her couch daily watching the news while drinking too many beers. She then becomes agitated by the news and starts calling people and threatening them," he said, according to court filings. "Mr. Shry stated that his daughter never leaves her residence and therefore would not act upon her threats."
Shry and her roughly 1,600 fellow rioters received a pardon from Trump for their roles in the Capitol attack.
Matt Naham contributed to this report
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