US man faces life in jail for slaying doctor
Source: Agencies |
April 2, 2010, Friday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
THE activist who gunned down a Kansas doctor who was one of the few in the United States to perform late-term abortions has never shown remorse, insisting the killing was justified to save the lives of unborn children.
Scott Roeder now faces a mandatory life sentence for the slaying of Dr George Tiller, who was shot last May in the foyer of the Wichita church where the doctor was serving as an usher. Roeder, who admitted killing Tiller on the witness stand during his trial, was expected to testify again at yesterday's sentencing hearing and speak freely about his beliefs.
Several of Roeder's friends and fellow anti-abortion activists have said Roeder asked them to testify as character witnesses - although it's up to the judge to decide how much, if any, such testimony he will hear.
Roeder was convicted in January of first-degree murder for the May 31 slaying of Tiller and of two counts of aggravated assault for threatening two ushers who tried to stop him after the shooting.
Lee Thompson, an attorney for the Tiller family, declined to discuss any plans for statements to the court.
While District Judge Warren Wilbert must sentence Roeder to life in prison, the judge will decide whether the 52-year-old Kansas City, Missouri, man must serve 25 years or 50 years before being eligible for parole.
Prosecutors seeking the harsher sentence must show an aggravating circumstance.
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