Planned Parenthood suspect: ‘I am a warrior for the babies’

Robert Lewis Dear, accused of killing three people last month at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, Colorado, made a series of outbursts at a hearing Wednesday, saying, “I am a warrior for the babies”.

The Colorado Springs shooter – identified by police as 57-year-old Robert Lewis Dear – surrendered about five hours after the attack began.

In court, Dear called himself a “warrior for babies”.

Soon afterwards he stated “You’ll never know the amount of blood I saw in that place”. When King asked the judge to seal the case records to avoid pretrial publicity, Dear said: “Seal the truth, huh?”

Rather than asking whether the respondents favor defunding Planned Parenthood, RMU asks respondents: “Congressional Republicans favor shifting Planned Parenthood federal funds to community clinics that perform the same services, but do not perform abortions”.

King did not directly address the outbursts, though at one point during a break he leaned over to Dear and said: “I know what you’re trying to do; it’s not going to work”.

Dear said something about “no more baby parts” during his arrest and had asked for directions to the clinic prior to the attack.

“St. Louis on the Air” host Don Marsh discusses the recent controversies surrounding Planned Parenthood and the recent mass shooting at a location in Colorado Springs with the local chapter of the health care organization.

Dear also said “This is my life” and “I will not meet with him again” referring to his attorney, Daniel King.

O’Donnell added, “you do hear a lot of these same words and ideas coming from protesters. There is no trial”, and “Protect the babies”.

Defending a suspect who wants to make a political statement regardless of the consequences is tough, said Mark Rudy, one of Roeder’s lawyers. Vicki Cowart, president of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, was clear that she believes the shooter “was motivated by opposition to safe and legal abortion”. “Can you add that to the list?”

Dear was formally charged Wednesday in El Paso County District Court with 179 counts, including eight counts of first-degree murder.

Dear is accused of shooting and killing a university police officer who responded to the November 27 attack, along with an Iraq war veteran and a mother of two who was inside the clinic. A first-degree murder conviction can lead to life in prison or the death penalty.

– What’s next: Dear will have a review hearing at 1:30 p.m. December 23.