Medical Examiner Ruled Suspicious Death of Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam A Suicide

Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam death in April has been ruled a suicide by the New York City medical examiner Wednesday, July 26.   

The Associate Judge of the New York Court of Appeals was a pioneer who broke barriers by becoming the first black woman to serve on the state’s highest court. According to The New York Daily News, friends and other sources have told media that Abdus-Salaam had a long battle with depression. On April 12, the 65-year-old's body was found floating half-mile south of Riverbank State Park.

She was pronounced dead by drowning and the manner of her death was suicide, per the medical examiner.

Security footage from the day prior to the alleged suicide showed Abdus-Salaam walking to the park. The footage captured on the day of her death also showed the woman entering the W. 145th St. entrance of Riverbank State Park around 12:30 a.m, an hour before was found.

Family members refuted the idea of suicide in the days following the drowning.

Abdus-Salaam’s husband, the Rev. Gregory Jacobs said April 20, “Those of us who loved (Sheila) and knew her well do not believe that these unfounded conclusions have any basis in reality.”