Prominent Neo-Nazi Rallyist Kills Self Before Trial On Drug Trafficking

Unite the Right — White nationalists carry torches on the grounds of the University of Virginia, on the eve of a planned Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Aug. 11, 2017. Reuters

KEY POINTS

Teddy Joseph Von Nukem left behind a wife and five children, according to an obituary
An autopsy report revealed that Von Nukem left suicide notes for his children and law enforcement
A judge ordered Von Nukem's arrest after he failed to attend his trial

Teddy Joseph Von Nukem, a prominent Neo-Nazi who participated in the infamous 2017 white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, died of suicide while facing a drug trafficking trial.

Von Nukem's death was first reported by Charlottesville-based independent journalist Molly Conger, who became a key anti-fascism researcher since the white supremacist rally took place.

you probably remember this photograph. it's one of the more iconic of the awful images of the nazi torch march at UVA on august 11, 2017.
on august 12, the man in the center was elated to see himself on the cover of papers across the county.
today, i can tell you he is dead. pic.twitter.com/ti5c1c0LT0
— molly conger (@socialistdogmom) February 14, 2023

An online obituary page for Von Nukem, which is already inaccessible, was put up by Bradford Funeral Home.

It stated that Von Nukem left behind a wife and five children.

"Some people knew Ted and understood he was a different type of fellow and had different views of things," according to Von Nukem's obituary.

The Daily Beast reported, citing an autopsy report they have obtained, that Von Nukem left suicide notes for law enforcement and his children.

"Suicide notes were found at the scene, left for law enforcement and his children, however, handwriting was somewhat inconsistent," according to the autopsy report.

Von Nukem is slated to stand trial for drug trafficking charges in Arizona on Jan. 30, according to court documents.

But he didn't attend the trial, in which U.S. District Judge Rosemary Marquez issued a warrant for his arrest.

On the same day, Von Nukem's wife discovered his husband's body lying in the snow.

According to Marie Lasater, the coroner in Texas County, Missouri, Von Nukem still had "a faint pulse" when a sheriff's deputy and paramedic arrived.

Last Thursday, after finding out about Von Nukem's death, federal prosecutors moved to dismiss the case, and Marquez closed it the following day.

In 2021, Von Nukem was charged with drug trafficking when he was on his way to Arizona from Mexico when Customs and Border Protection agents seized 15 kilograms of fentanyl pills behind the seats and floor compartment of his vehicle.

Police records revealed that Von Nukem admitted that he had been paid around $215 to smuggle illegal drugs into the U.S.

But he would be prominently remembered as one of the participants of the "Unite the Right" white supremacist rally in Virginia a few years ago.

Von Nukem was identified as one of the men who attacked DeAndre Harris, a Black man, in a parking garage next to a police headquarters.

He was identified by his former classmates when pictures of the rally showed Von Nukem leading the protest.

A former classmate of Von Nukem told Springfield News-Leader that he was known as a "token goth kid" who had an "unsettling interest in Nazi Germany."

Von Nukem didn't hide his interests in Nazis and white supremacy, telling the newspaper that he didn't mind "showing solidarity with them."

If you have thoughts of suicide or experiencing emotional distress, please text or call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988. The line offers confidential support 24 hours a day.