A Texas woman involved in the Capitol riot has been sentenced to prison after making threats against a federal judge and leaving a racist voicemail for a U.S. Representative. Abigail Jo Shry, 45, will serve 27 months behind bars for her actions.

According to court records, Shry appeared shocked by the severity of her sentence, as reported by CBS News. In court, she expressed concern about her 17-year-old son potentially being drafted into a war because of her actions, despite the draft having ended over five decades ago.

In November 2024, Shry admitted guilt to the charge of transmitting threats across state lines, which targeted others with the intent to cause harm.

Federal authorities reported that on August 5, 2023, Shry left a threatening voicemail for U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who at the time was presiding over Donald Trump’s Jan. 6 case in Washington, D.C. Shry’s voicemail began with a racial slur and included threats against those pursuing legal action against Trump, as well as Democrats in Washington, D.C., and the LGBTQ community. She also issued a threat against Democratic U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, who passed away last year.

During the call, Shry made several inflammatory statements, showcasing her intent to intimidate and menace her targets.

• “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 she used her cellphone, Department of Homeland Security agents easily tracked her to her home in Alvin, which is 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.

As Law&Crime previously reported, 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,” the court recounted Mark Shry’s testimony. “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.