Teddy Joseph Von Nukem (born Ted Landrum, November 23, 1987 – January 30, 2023) was an American

white nationalist White nationalism is a type of racial nationalism or pan-nationalism which espouses the belief that white people are a Race (human categorization), raceHeidi Beirich and Kevin Hicks. "Chapter 7: White nationalism in America". In Perry, Barbara ...

far-right Far-right politics, often termed right-wing extremism, encompasses a range of ideologies that are marked by ultraconservatism, authoritarianism, ultranationalism, and nativism. This political spectrum situates itself on the far end of the ...

extremist, noted for his role at the 2017

Unite the Right rally The Unite the Right rally was a White supremacy#United States, white supremacist rally that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia, from August 11 to 12, 2017. Marchers included members of the alt-right, neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, whi ...

Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville, colloquially known as C'ville, is an independent city (United States), independent city in Virginia, United States. It is the county seat, seat of government of Albemarle County, Virginia, Albemarle County, which surrounds the ...

. In March 2021, Von Nukem admitted to attempted drug smuggling after being arrested at the

Mexico–United States border The international border separating Mexico and the United States extends from the Pacific Ocean in the west to the Gulf of Mexico in the east. The border traverses a variety of terrains, ranging from urban areas to deserts. It is the List of ...

. He failed to show up for a January 30, 2023, court appearance in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, and died from a self-inflicted gunshot injury the same day.

Early life

Nukem was born Ted Landrum on November 23, 1987, in

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

. He was of German heritage and attended middle school in

Lebanon, Missouri Lebanon is a city in and the county seat of Laclede County, Missouri, Laclede County in Missouri. The population was estimated at 15,013 at the time of the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Laclede County. The Lebanon Micropolitan Statistical ...

. One of his former classmates remembered him as a "smart 'token

goth Goth or Goths may refer to: * Goths, a Germanic people Arts and entertainment * Gothic rock or goth, a style of rock music * Goth subculture, developed by fans of gothic rock * ''Goth'' (2003 film), an American horror film * ''Goth'' (2008 f ...

kid' and 'highly intelligent' history buff with an unsettling interest in

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

Adult life

Von Nukem was a far-right extremist and a white nationalist who changed his name to that of video-game character

Duke Nukem ''Duke Nukem'' is a video game series and media franchise created by the company Apogee Software Ltd. (now 3D Realms). The franchise follows the titular Duke Nukem as he battles against a military or extraterrestrial force. Originally a serie ...

in 2012. A photograph of him holding a

tiki torch A tiki torch is a pole-mounted torch, typically made of bamboo, that originated in the tiki culture of the mid-20th-century United States, which has increased in popularity and spread to other places as a popular party decoration with a tropical ...

at the Unite the Right rally became the image that was most commonly used to represent the 2017 right-wing protest in Charlottesville, Virginia. In the photograph he stands next to a screaming man who was later identified as

University of Nevada The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada, the University of Nevada, or UNR) is a public land-grant research university in Reno, Nevada, United States. It is the state's flagship public university and primary land grant institution. It was founded ...

student Peter Cvjetanovic. Journalist Molly Conger identified Von Nukem as part of a mob that assaulted DeAndre Harris, a Black counter-protester, at the Charlottesville event. Nukem owned a

sales training Sales are activities related to selling or the number of goods sold in a given targeted time period. The delivery of a service for a cost is also considered a sale. A period during which goods are sold for a reduced price may also be referred ...

company, AnCap Incorporated (a

portmanteau In linguistics, a blend—also known as a blend word, lexical blend, or portmanteau—is a word formed by combining the meanings, and parts of the sounds, of two or more words together.

anarcho-capitalism Anarcho-capitalism (colloquially: ancap or an-cap) is a political philosophy and economic theory that advocates for the abolition of centralized states in favor of stateless societies, where systems of private property are enforced by pri ...

), and aspired to be a

Member of Congress A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...

. Nukem was arrested near the

Lukeville Port of Entry The Lukeville, Arizona Port of Entry was established by Executive Order in 1949. It has primarily been a port of entry for passenger vehicles and pedestrians. It connects Mexican Federal Highway 8 in Sonoyta, Sonora, with Arizona State Route 85, ...

in March 2021;

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement The United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE; ) is a Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement agency under the United States Department of Homeland Security. ICE's stated mission is to protect the Un ...

agents said he had 14 packages containing 33 pounds of

fentanyl Fentanyl is a highly potent synthetic piperidine opioid primarily used as an analgesic (pain medication). It is 30 to 50 times more Potency (pharmacology), potent than heroin and 50 to 100 times more potent than morphine. Its primary Medici ...

in his vehicle. Von Nukem admitted attempting to smuggle drugs, but denied knowledge that the product was fentanyl. He failed to attend a scheduled Arizona District Court appearance on January 30, 2023, prompting judge

Rosemary Márquez Rosemary Márquez (born February 28, 1968) is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Arizona. Early life and education Márquez's parents, Miguel and Catalina Márquez, emigrated from Sonora, Mex ...

to issue an

arrest warrant An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by a judge or magistrate on behalf of the state which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual or the search and seizure of an individual's property. Canada Arrest warrants are issued by a jud ...

. He was facing federal charges. Within one hour, his wife telephoned the court to inform them of an emergency at the Von Nukem family home after finding his body in the snow behind a hay shed. The case was dismissed on February 10, 2023. Von Nukem was married with four daughters and a son, and resided in Hartshorn, Missouri. He was a supporter of libertarianism and believed that "white people are disadvantaged in the arena of identity politics."

Death

Von Nukem killed himself at his home in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

on January 30, 2023. His death occurred on the same day he was due to stand trial for drug-related criminal charges. He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound from a handgun. He was aged 35 at the time of his death. Marie Lasater, the Texas County coroner, confirmed his death was suicide.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Von Nukem, Teddy Joseph 1987 births 2023 deaths 2023 suicides American anarcho-capitalists American company founders American drug traffickers American people of German descent American white nationalists Duke Nukem People from Phoenix, Arizona People from Texas County, Missouri Suicides by firearm in Missouri Unite the Right rally