The man who appeared in one of the most haunting images from the 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia shot and killed himself before standing trial over federal drug charges, according to reports.
Teddy Von Nukem died more than five years after a viral image showed him and others holding tiki torches during an ugly demonstration that descended into violence, the Daily Beast reported.
He was reportedly supposed to appear in Arizona federal court for drug trafficking charges on Jan. 30, but skipped out on the first day and instead shot himself outside his home in Missouri.
The autopsy report, obtained by the Daily Beast, indicated suicide notes were found at the scene for both authorities and his children.
“However handwriting is somewhat inconsistent,” the coroner’s report says.
Von Nukem, 35, was among hundreds that attended the rally on Aug. 12, 2017 that included various white supremacist and neo-Nazi groups, and led to the death of counter-protester Heather Heyer.
Von Nukem denied he was part of any extremist groups that helped organize the “Unite the Right” rally, but was a Donald Trump supporter, according to a Springfield News-Leader report from back then.
“The rally was not a racist rally,” he claimed in 2017. “It was a rally to save our history.”
“I don’t mind showing solidarity with them,” Von Nukem added, arguing white people were at a disadvantage in current society.
Von Nukem can be seen in a photo wearing a black shirt with a tiki torch in hand, according to Tuesday’s News-Leader report.
Von Nukem was allegedly involved in federal drug trafficking and set to stand trial over it, according to the News-Leader.
He tried to cross into the US from Mexico in 2021 with 15 kilograms of pills that tested positive for fentanyl, the indictment alleges. While he denied knowing the drugs had fentanyl, he admitted to attempting to smuggle in the contraband, the indictment states.
His obituary says he was a married father of five who “enjoyed visiting with people, talking to strangers, meditating, video games and board games, but most of all he loved dancing with each of his daughters every evening when he came home from work,” the News-Leader reported.
“Some people knew Ted and understood he was a different type of fellow and had different views of things, but he would give the shirt off his back if you asked or needed it,” the obit reportedly went on to read.
It appeared that the obit was pulled off the funeral home’s website Tuesday evening.
After Von Nukem was a no-show at his federal trial, the judge issued an arrest warrant, but when it was discovered he was dead, the case was dismissed, the Daily Beast reported.
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