Planned Parenthood Shooter Charged With First-Degree Murder

Colorado Springs shooting suspect Robert Lewis Dear of North Carolina is seen in undated photos provided by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. A gunman burst into a Planned Parenthood clinic Friday, Nov. 27, 2015 ... Colorado Springs shooting suspect Robert Lewis Dear of North Carolina is seen in undated photos provided by the El Paso County Sheriff's Office. A gunman burst into a Planned Parenthood clinic Friday, Nov. 27, 2015 and opened fire, launching several gunbattles and an hourslong standoff with police as patients and staff took cover. By the time the shooter surrendered, at least three people were killed, including a police officer and at least nine others were wounded, authorities said. (El Paso County Sheriff's Office via AP) MORE LESS
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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The latest on the shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic (all times local):

2:20 p.m.

The district attorney in Colorado Springs says the man accused of killing three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic could be charged with crimes other than first-degree murder.

Fifty-seven-year-old Robert Lewis Dear is being held on suspicion of murder but prosecutor Dan May said Monday that other charges are still possible. He didn’t elaborate.

Speaking after Dear’s first court appearance, May also said that he has been in touch with federal prosecutors about the case but didn’t say what they’ve been discussing.

Dear is scheduled to be charged Dec. 9.

___

1:55 p.m.

The man accused of attacking a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs has made his first court appearance.

Fifty-seven-year-old Robert Lewis Dear appeared before a judge in a brief video hearing on Monday, standing next to public defender Daniel King. He’s the same lawyer who represented Colorado theater shooting gunman James Holmes.

Dear wore a white vest and blinked periodically as the judge spoke to him. He did not speak much. He said “yes” twice when asked if he understood his rights and the first-degree murder charges he faces. He responded “no questions” when the judge asked if he had any about the charges.

___

This item has been corrected to say that Dear spoke more than once.

___

11 a.m.

Court records in South Carolina show a Peeping Tom charge against the suspect in Colorado’s Planned Parenthood shooting was dismissed in 2002 on the same day the woman who made the accusation filed a restraining order against him.

Robert Lewis Dear was arrested in May 2002 when the woman said he looked into her home and put her in fear for her life. Court records show the charge was dismissed less than two months later. Colleton County Court administrator Pamala White said Monday a copy of the restraining order was no longer available because the county destroys them after 10 years.

The criminal court records give no other details about the case.

___

10:35 a.m.

A judge has sealed court documents for a man accused of killing three people, including a police officer, at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs.

Acting at the request of prosecutors, Judge Stephen J. Sletta issued the order sealing the arrest warrant for 57-year-old Robert Lewis Dear and the search warrant for his home. The order was made available Monday after being issued Friday, the day of the attack.

Such documents detail evidence gathered by investigators that justify arresting suspects and searching property.

Prosecutors said making them public would jeopardize the ongoing investigation.

The judge agreed to keep the records sealed until the termination of the case or a further order of the court.

___

7 a.m.

The man accused of opening fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs is set to make his first court appearance Monday.

Fifty-seven-year-old Robert Lewis Dear is scheduled to appear at 1:30 p.m. before a judge in a video hearing. He’ll be advised of the charges that could be filed against him.

Dear is accused of killing a police officer and two civilians — an Iraq war veteran and a mother of two — who were accompanying separate friends to the clinic. The rampage touched off an hours-long standoff and shootout Friday that also left nine other people in the hospital.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Notable Replies

  1. Where’s the charge for intent to commit an act of terrorism? His actions were meant to frighten people to the point where they would no longer pursue an entirely legal healthcare procedure, killing was just the method he used to instill the fear.

  2. Interesting. Sounds like he may be more than just a lone wolf loony if “additional suspects” may be arrested and property searches occur. it also sounds like he did not present as insane or likely to argue insanity as a defense, but we’ll see I suppose. This entire investigation and prosecution is suspect in my mind because of how deeply conservative the area is.

  3. Well, at least we know who will play him in the TV Movie: Nick Nolte.

  4. Avatar for mymy mymy says:

    He really looks like a tranny leftist, doesn’t he? (Ted Cruz’s take.)

  5. This dumbass needs to be charged federally with domestic terrorism:

    18 U.S.C. § 2331 defines “international terrorism” and “domestic terrorism” for purposes of Chapter 113B of the Code, entitled "Terrorism”:

    “Domestic terrorism” means activities with the following three characteristics:

    Involve acts dangerous to human life that violate federal or state law;
    Appear intended (i) to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; (ii) to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion; or (iii) to affect the conduct of a government by mass destruction, assassination. or kidnapping; and
    Occur primarily within the territorial jurisdiction of the U.S.
    

    18 U.S.C. § 2332b defines the term “federal crime of terrorism” as an offense that:

    Is calculated to influence or affect the conduct of government by intimidation or coercion, or to retaliate against government conduct; and
    Is a violation of one of several listed statutes, including § 930(c) (relating to killing or attempted killing during an attack on a federal facility with a dangerous weapon); and § 1114 (relating to killing or attempted killing of officers and employees of the U.S.).
    

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