Guity Verdict in Abortionist Murder
Although he argued his actions were justified to save the lives of unborn children, the jury Friday swiftly convicted an abortion opponent of premeditated first-degree murder for shooting to death a late-term abortionist.
The jury only deliberated for 37 minutes before finding Scott Roeder, 51, guilty of killing Dr. George Tiller on May 31.
Guilty on all three counts – first degree premeditated murder , two accounts of aggravated assault for waving a gun and threatening to shoot two men who tried to stop Roeder from escaping.
Scott Roeder, 51, admitted that on 30 May 2009, the day before he shot George Tiller, he had bought a .22-calibre gun and bullets and then practiced target shooting with his brother. He checked into a motel in Wichita and the next day followed Tiller to the Reformation Lutheran church, where the doctor was an usher.
Tiller had long been a target for anti-abortionists as he was one of few abortionists who perform the act after 21 weeks of gestation. In 1986 his clinic was bombed and in 1993 he was shot in both arms, but he carried on with his job.
Roeder told the jury he was born again in 1992 after watching an evangelical TV show, the 700 Club. “That day I knelt down and I did accept Christ as my saviour,” he said. Under cross-examination, Roeder said he had begun thinking about killing Tiller from as early as 1993.
Despite objections from the prosecutors, the judge Warren Wilbert allowed Roeder to offer his view on murder.
“It is not man’s job to take life – it’s our Heavenly Father’s. It’s never up to man to take life, except in defense of self or others,” Roeder said.
Roeder’s defense attorney, Mark Rudy, said that shortly before the killing, Roeder was “astonished, upset and distraught” that a jury found Tiller not guilty of breaking abortion laws for conducting the late-term abortions. “He came to the view that he was going to act himself.”
In March of 2009, a Kansas jury found Tiller, not guilty on a 19 misdemeanor charges that accused him of violating state laws involving late-term abortions.
Kansas law allows abortions after a baby can survive outside the womb only if two independent doctors agree that it is necessary to save a women’s life or prevent “substantial and irreversible” harm to “a major bodily function,” a phrase that has been interpreted to include mental health.
“I’ve never seen anyone lay himself out as much as Mr. Roeder did,” Rudy said after the verdict, referring to his client’s confessions.
Roeder faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years, but prosecutor Nola Foulston said she would pursue a so-called “Hard 50″ sentence, which would require Roeder to serve at least 50 years before he can be considered for parole.
Sentencing is set for March 9.
Related posts:
- Judge Rejects Necessity Defense in Late-Term Abortionist Murder Case
- Nebraska Dr. Wants To Replace Former Late-Term Abortionist Tiller
- Abortion Doctor Murdered Attending Church; Pro-Lifers Fearing Backlash
- Clinic of Slain Late-Term Abortion Doctor Is ‘Permanently Closed’
- Anti-Abortion Activist ‘Targeted’ in Murder; White House Remains Silent
