A Minnesota man at the center of a murder-suicide that left five people dead, including his two sons, expressed a hatred for Christianity on social media prior to the shootings.
Anthony Nephew, 46, was found dead last week from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in his home in Duluth, Minnesota, after killing his wife and son, and his ex-partner and their son, authorities said.
Nephew killed his former partner, 47-year-old Erin Abramson, and their 15-year-old son, Jacob Nephew, inside Abramson's home in the 6000 block of Tacony Street in Duluth, Police Chief Mike Ceynowa revealed during a Nov. 8 press conference.
Following the initial discovery of the victims, investigators shifted their focus to Nephew's home. Upon arrival, law enforcement found Nephew, along with his wife, Kathryn Nephew, 45, and their young son, Oliver Nephew, 7, all dead. Authorities say Anthony Nephew died by suicide.
While the motive remains under investigation, Nephew was known to have demonstrated “a pattern of mental health issues," Ceynowa said.
A CP review of Anthony Nephew’s Facebook profile revealed several anti-Christian views, including posts in which he expressed fear about Christian influence over a second Trump administration.
In response to an August report in which a police officer shot a woman after being “rebuked in Jesus’ name,” Nephew blamed religion for his mental health problems.
“My mental health and the world can no longer peacefully coexist, and a lot of the reason is religion,” he wrote in July. “I am terrified of religious zealots inflicting their misguided beliefs on me and my family.”
Nephew also claimed to have “intrusive thoughts of being burned at the stake as a witch, or crucified on a burning cross,” as well as “having people actually believe that I or my child are Satan or, the anti-Christ or whatever their favorite color of boogie man they are afraid are this week.”
A few days later, he compared Christianity to the Ku Klux Klan, writing, “Christian is a dog whistle, for white sheets, and pointy hats.”
In another post on July 28, Nephew linked to a Reuters report on President-elect Donald Trump’s comment that if they voted for him in November, they “don’t have to vote again.”
“How’s that call for turning down the rhetoric going?” Nephew wrote. “Your freedom of religion, in no way implies you can force it on others. This is exactly why I left the church. You’re not interested in worshiping God, you’re just pushing religious extremism.”
He also expressed bizarre views about spirituality: in an Oct. 17 post, Nephew speculated that “if there is a higher power” that humans could “learn to steer our way through the universe by parking and controlling a celestial mass in front of the sun” in order to “give our civilization access to a nearly infinite source of energy, and potentially counter the threats of alien civilizations. [...] It’s a better ending to the Bible, than Revelation,” he added.
Nephew, who shared images in support of President Joe Biden, former President Barack Obama, Vice President Kamala Harris and others, also appeared to support Harris’ failed presidential bid.
In a July 23 post, he wrote that Harris could potentially be on her way to the White House “by the grace of God.” She was defeated by Trump on Nov. 5.
Nephew also appeared to support abortion rights: in a June 2022 post, shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, he offered his “home and resources” to anyone in an “anti-abortion state.”
That same month, Nephew referred to himself as a “survivor” of suicide in a post in which he shared a national suicide hotline number.
A memorial run fundraiser campaign for Abramson and Jacob Nephew raised over $5,225 as of Friday afternoon.
Duluth, which has a population of about 90,000 residents, is roughly 135 miles north of Minneapolis.
