Who paid to cremate Trump shooter Thomas Crooks? New FBI files reveal mystery donor
The cremation of Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old gunman who attempted to assassinate then-presidential candidate Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, was paid for by an anonymous dono”, newly released federal records have revealed.
The detail emerged from documents provided to US Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley as part of the ongoing congressional investigation into the July 13, 2024, shooting. The records offer fresh details about Crooks' family life, behaviour, interest in guns and the circumstances surrounding the handling of his body after the attack.
According to The New York Post, a note added to a summary of an FBI interview with Crooks’ father, Matthew, states: "Anonymous donor paid for cremation."
The information reportedly came from a lawyer representing the Crooks family. The records also noted that Matthew was retired and his wife was on leave from work at the time, raising questions about how the family would have paid for the funeral arrangements.
Matthew also told investigators that he was unemployed when the shooting took place, according to the records reviewed by The Post.CROOKS' BODY WAS CREMATED DAYS AFTER SHOOTING
The revelation about the anonymous payment comes after earlier concerns over how quickly Crooks' remains were released to his family.
Republican Representative Clay Higgins had previously revealed that Crooks' body was cremated just 10 days after the July 13 shooting. Higgins said the decision prevented him from examining the body as part of his inquiry into the security failures surrounding the assassination attempt.
"My effort to examine Crooks' body on Monday, August 5 (2024), caused quite a stir and revealed a disturbing fact the FBI released the body for cremation 10 days after (July 13)," Higgins wrote in a letter to the bipartisan congressional task force investigating the shooting.
The federal documents also provide a glimpse into Crooks' increasingly unusual behaviour in the months before the shooting. According to Fox News, Crooks used the name "Bob Dole" as an alias when ordering packages. He would collect deliveries addressed to that name before his father returned home from work.
The purchases became more closely connected to his interest in firearms. His father told investigators that Crooks bought large numbers of Amazon packages containing "parts, tools and items to increase the capacity of his rifle".
The records indicate that Crooks' actions came as a shock to his family. His motive for targeting Trump remains a mystery.
His father also told FBI agents that Crooks had very few close relationships growing up. According to the documents reviewed by Fox News, Matthew said his son "never identified anyone as a friend throughout middle school and high school". Although Crooks socialised with classmates, his father said the young man told him those people were not his friends.CROOKS' FATHER SAYS HE RARELY SHOWED EMOTION
Matthew also gave investigators a striking account of his son's personality from childhood.
He said Crooks was difficult to read and rarely showed strong emotions. "When Thomas was born, he did not scream, and he was always quiet from that point on," Matthew said, according to The Post. His father recalled that Crooks rarely laughed or cried and that the family had at one point wondered whether he had ADHD.
Matthew described an incident in elementary school when Crooks damaged a desk and school property because "he was bored" and wanted attention.
He also recalled another episode after Crooks had fought with his sister. The teenager dumped an entire container of fish food into a betta tank, prompting his father to push him to tears in an effort to get an emotional reaction from him.
As Crooks grew older, Matthew noticed further changes. He said his son began talking to himself and became "a little more quiet and reserved" in high school. He also developed "issues with speaking to his teachers".INTEREST IN GUNS GREW DURING PANDEMIC
Crooks' interest in firearms also became more pronounced during his teenage years. His father told investigators that Crooks had asked whether he could have his grandfather's guns. He began visiting a gun club around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Matthew revealed that his son was a "terrible" shooter initially, but said he continued practising and gradually improved.
Crooks had considered several possible career paths. According to FBI notes, he once wanted to join the military and work on nuclear submarines, although his father said the idea was largely based on the fact that Thomas thought it would be "cool". Matthew said his son did not show much commitment to the idea and did not appear particularly interested in dating. He also repeatedly denied being gay when asked.POLITICAL VIEWS OFFERED FEW CLUES
However, the newly released records also appear to provide little explanation for Crooks' motive.
Matthew said his son described himself as a Republican, opposed the welfare state and disliked what he called "woke" ideology. However, his father said Crooks did not strongly embrace Republican politics.
The conflicting and incomplete picture of Crooks has left investigators without a clear explanation for why he opened fire at Trump's rally.
Crooks killed one person and seriously wounded two others before he was shot dead by Secret Service agents. The new documents shed light on his upbringing and behaviour, but they have yet to provide a definitive answer to the central question surrounding the attack: why he decided to target Trump.- EndsPublished By: Satyam SinghPublished On: Sep 15, 2026 20:19 IST
