Scott Roeder

In a trial that never became the referendum on abortion that some abortion foes wanted, Scott Roeder, a 51-year-old airport shuttle driver, was convicted today of murdering George Tiller, one the nation's few physicians who performed late-term abortions. The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for only 37 minutes. Roeder faces life in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder. Roeder also was convicted on two counts of aggravated assault for threatening to shoot church ushers Keith Martin and Gary Hoepner as he fled Reformation Lutheran Church after murdering Tiller.

Scott Roeder, the antiabortion extremist who murdered George Tiller, one of a handful of American physicians who performed late-term abortions, was sentenced to life in prison in a Wichita, Kan., courtroom Thursday and will not be eligible for parole for more than 50 years. "The blood of babies is on your hands!" he yelled at prosecutors as bailiffs led him from the courtroom. A former airport shuttle driver who was once arrested with bomb-making materials in his car, Roeder, 52, was convicted Jan. 29 of premeditated murder for shooting Tiller point-blank in the forehead during a Sunday service on May 31 as the doctor stood in the vestibule of his Wichita church.

Before shooting him point-blank in the forehead at church last spring, Scott Roeder considered many ways of killing Wichita physician George Tiller. He thought about ramming his car into Tiller's car, shooting him sniper-style with a high-powered rifle at his clinic, or slicing off Tiller's hands with a sword. He opted against maiming Tiller, he said, because if Tiller survived, he would probably continue to instruct other doctors on how to perform abortions. The problem was, Tiller was hard to get to. He lived behind high walls, traveled in a custom armored car, often with a bodyguard, and wore a bulletproof vest.

In a trial that never became the referendum on abortion that some abortion foes wanted, Scott Roeder, a 51-year-old airport shuttle driver, was convicted Friday of murdering George Tiller, one the nation's few physicians who performed late-term abortions. When he was slain in the vestibule of his church last May 31, Tiller became the eighth doctor since 1993 to be killed by antiabortion extremists. In June, his family announced that his clinic would close permanently. The jury of seven men and five women deliberated for only 37 minutes before finding Roeder guilty of premeditated murder.

A district judge refused Tuesday to prevent the man charged with killing abortion provider George Tiller from pursuing a defense of voluntary manslaughter. Prosecutors had asked Judge Warren Wilbert to block Scott Roeder, 51, from building a case that might lead to a lesser charge than first-degree premeditated murder. Roeder has admitted shooting Tiller on May 31, but said he killed him to protect the unborn. Kansas law defines voluntary manslaughter as the "honest but unreasonable belief" that the use of force was necessary in defense of another.

Abortion is the issue that hovers undeniably over the trial of Scott Roeder -- who has admitted to killing physician George Tiller -- even though the prosecution has tried mightily to make this a case about premeditated murder, pure and simple. So it came as a surprise Monday when Sedgwick County Dist. Atty. Nola Foulston asked a witness about protesters who over the years have targeted the church where Tiller was shot in May. At the time, the 67-year-old Tiller was one of the few American doctors in the United States to perform late-term abortions.

Scott Roeder, the antiabortion extremist who murdered George Tiller, one of a handful of American physicians who performed late-term abortions, was sentenced to life in prison in a Wichita, Kan., courtroom Thursday and will not be eligible for parole for more than 50 years. "The blood of babies is on your hands!" he yelled at prosecutors as bailiffs led him from the courtroom. A former airport shuttle driver who was once arrested with bomb-making materials in his car, Roeder, 52, was convicted Jan. 29 of premeditated murder for shooting Tiller point-blank in the forehead during a Sunday service on May 31 as the doctor stood in the vestibule of his Wichita church.

Prosecutors asked a judge Monday to prohibit the man accused of killing abortion doctor George Tiller from using voluntary manslaughter in his defense. Judge Warren Wilbert set a hearing for this afternoon, postponing jury selection in the first-degree murder trial for two days. Jury selection was to have begun Monday. On Friday, Wilbert said he could see a situation where testimony would require him to give the jury an option of less severe charges than premeditated murder, including involuntary manslaughter.

A district judge ruled Tuesday that the man accused of killing abortion provider George Tiller would go on trial here next month, but he disallowed use of the "necessity defense." Judge Warren Wilbert said he would "leave the door open" for Scott Roeder to present other evidence and arguments that he killed the Wichita doctor in the belief that he was saving the lives of fetuses. That means Roeder's public defenders could ask jurors to consider crimes less than first-degree premeditated murder.

Scott Roeder, the abortion foe accused of the premeditated murder of Dr. George Tiller, is expected to explain to a jury today why he killed the late-term abortion specialist, who had survived years of protests, physical attacks and criminal prosecution before being shot in the head in church last May. "He's enthusiastic, he's eloquent, he's ready to make his case," said Roeder's friend David Leach, who met with Roeder on Tuesday at the county jail....

Before shooting him point-blank in the forehead at church last spring, Scott Roeder considered many ways of killing Wichita physician George Tiller. He thought about ramming his car into Tiller's car, shooting him sniper-style with a high-powered rifle at his clinic, or slicing off Tiller's hands with a sword. He opted against maiming Tiller, he said, because if Tiller survived, he would probably continue to instruct other doctors on how to perform abortions. The problem was, Tiller was hard to get to. He lived behind high walls, traveled in a custom armored car, often with a bodyguard, and wore a bulletproof vest.

Scott Roeder, the abortion foe accused of the premeditated murder of Dr. George Tiller, is expected to explain to a jury today why he killed the late-term abortion specialist, who had survived years of protests, physical attacks and criminal prosecution before being shot in the head in church last May. "He's enthusiastic, he's eloquent, he's ready to make his case," said Roeder's friend David Leach, who met with Roeder on Tuesday at the county jail....

Prosecutors on Tuesday methodically reconstructed Scott Roeder's movements in the days leading up to the killing of Dr. George Tiller, including three visits to a gun shop to purchase a handgun, a visit to a second gun shop to purchase new ammunition when the gun didn't fire properly, and a morning of target practice the day before the shooting. Tiller, one of the few doctors in the U.S. who performed late-term abortions, was killed with a .22-caliber bullet, shot point-blank into his forehead as he worked as an usher in the foyer of his church on May 31. For years, his clinic and his church were the sites of antiabortion protests.

Abortion is the issue that hovers undeniably over the trial of Scott Roeder -- who has admitted to killing physician George Tiller -- even though the prosecution has tried mightily to make this a case about premeditated murder, pure and simple. So it came as a surprise Monday when Sedgwick County Dist. Atty. Nola Foulston asked a witness about protesters who over the years have targeted the church where Tiller was shot in May. At the time, the 67-year-old Tiller was one of the few American doctors in the United States to perform late-term abortions.

On the first day of testimony in the trial of Scott Roeder, the anti- abortion activist accused of murdering Dr. George Tiller, a Wichita, Kan., jury heard tearful testimony today from a fellow congregant who was 40 feet away when Tiller was shot in his church's vestibule last May. Kathy Wegner, the church's youth director who made the first 911 call after the shooting, said this morning she saw a flash and heard a sound like a balloon popping....

A district judge refused Tuesday to prevent the man charged with killing abortion provider George Tiller from pursuing a defense of voluntary manslaughter. Prosecutors had asked Judge Warren Wilbert to block Scott Roeder, 51, from building a case that might lead to a lesser charge than first-degree premeditated murder. Roeder has admitted shooting Tiller on May 31, but said he killed him to protect the unborn. Kansas law defines voluntary manslaughter as the "honest but unreasonable belief" that the use of force was necessary in defense of another.

Prosecutors on Tuesday methodically reconstructed Scott Roeder's movements in the days leading up to the killing of Dr. George Tiller, including three visits to a gun shop to purchase a handgun, a visit to a second gun shop to purchase new ammunition when the gun didn't fire properly, and a morning of target practice the day before the shooting. Tiller, one of the few doctors in the U.S. who performed late-term abortions, was killed with a .22-caliber bullet, shot point-blank into his forehead as he worked as an usher in the foyer of his church on May 31. For years, his clinic and his church were the sites of antiabortion protests.

Prosecutors asked a judge Monday to prohibit the man accused of killing abortion doctor George Tiller from using voluntary manslaughter in his defense. Judge Warren Wilbert set a hearing for this afternoon, postponing jury selection in the first-degree murder trial for two days. Jury selection was to have begun Monday. On Friday, Wilbert said he could see a situation where testimony would require him to give the jury an option of less severe charges than premeditated murder, including involuntary manslaughter.