Suspected Planned Parenthood shooter Robert Dear appeared in court via video Monday as authorities continue to investigate the shooting and hours-long standoff at the Colorado Springs clinic that authorities said left three dead and nine others injured.
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Robert Dear, 57, had his first court hearing Monday through a video feed in the El Paso County jail.
The white-bearded suspect wore a padded vest with black straps and looked downward during most of the hearing. A handful of victims sat in the front of the packed courtroom, watching Dear on a screen.
“The initial charge is murder in the first degree”, said Judge Gilbert Anthony Martinez of Colorado’s Fourth Judicial District.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump blamed the tragic Colorado Springs shooting on a “maniac” and rejected claims that pro-lifers are in some way responsible during an interview Sunday on NBC.
It’s unclear exactly what Dear’s motives were, although police officials have said they have evidence of political motivations. Officials say that after he was arrested, Dear said “no more baby parts” during a statement so rambling that it has been challenging to pinpoint what motivated the attacks. “We’re always assessing our systems and working with local law enforcement to make sure that the best measures are in place”, said Aleigha Cavalier, a regional public affairs director. He’s the same lawyer who represented Colorado theater shooting gunman James Holmes.
Miller culminated his post with a quote from Mother Teresa of Calcutta, saying “If we accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?”
Planned Parenthood South Texas serves approximately 20,000 clients per year.
Authorities beefed up security in the wake of the recent shooting at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs, though no threats have been made against the West Hollywood clinic.
“I wouldn’t have married him if I had known he was the way he was”, she said firmly. When he was arrested, he muttered “no more baby parts”, investigators said.
The police report indicates the incident involved “assault and battery with intent to kill (rape)” and criminal sexual conduct. No records show how the case was ultimately handled.
Neighbors who live near Dear’s former SC home say he hid food in the woods and lived by selling prints of his uncle’s paintings of Southern plantations and the Masters golf tournament.
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A judge has sealed documents related to the case.
