The jury in the George Tiller killing came to the right verdict, convicting Scott Roeder of murder in the first degree. From the story:
Jurors swiftly convicted an abortion opponent of murder Friday for shooting to death one of the only doctors to offer late-term abortions in the U.S., a killing the gunman claimed was justified to save the lives of unborn children.More NewsThe jury deliberated for just 37 minutes before finding Scott Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Mo., guilty of premeditated, first-degree murder for putting a gun to the forehead of Dr. George Tiller on May 31 and pulling the trigger.
There was no other verdict to reach. The judge had properly removed “manslaughter” as a lesser verdict. From an earlier story:
After Roeder’s testimony, District Judge Warren Wilbert ruled that the jury would not be permitted to consider the manslaughter charge because abortion, including late-term abortion, is legal in Kansas and because Tiller did not pose an imminent threat. “There is no immediate danger in the back of a church,” the judge said. He also ruled out a second-degree murder conviction, which does not involve premeditation, because it was clear Roeder planned the killing. “It would be hard for a reasonable fact-finder to find anything other than the defendant formulating his belief and then planning on multiple occasions … to carry out his intention to (kill) Dr. Tiller.”
Spot on. George Tiller enthusiastically engaged in the odious practice of late term abortion. But that did not justify murder, nor should Roeder’s desire to save babies mitigate the punishment. Roeder not only murdered a man, he acted as a vigilante. Nothing could be more dangerous in a free society.
January 29th, 2010 | 5:51 pm
Bent logic to kill an abortion doctor to save babies. Tiller was, after all, someone’s kid. Well, the only way to deal with this properly is probably an amendment to the Constitution. At least it’s the appropriate route. That still doesn’t mean desperate people will stop doing desperate things. Pregnancy resource centers are great places to throw your time and money at. Bullets aren’t so good.
January 29th, 2010 | 7:07 pm
I’m so glad the jury didn’t buy his BS manslaughter defense. I look forward to seeing Roeder’s sentence but whatever he gets, it won’t be as terrible a fate as he deserves for his actions.
January 31st, 2010 | 6:47 pm
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vince Humphreys, ProLifeBlogs, Wesley J. Smith, Robert Baker, Not Abortion and others. Not Abortion said: Tiller Killer a Murderer and #8211;No Other Verdict Possible http://bit.ly/cuzpM9 #abortion #prolife [...]
February 1st, 2010 | 4:25 pm
Roeder had to have known the risk he was taking, both morally and legally, he should therefore be willing to accept the consequences. What troubles me is this scenario that runs through my head from time to time. I find myself in a hallway, I’m not sure where I am. I try opening different doors, finally one opens I walk through it and there in front of me is a woman lying on a table and what appears to be 3/4 of a body hanging out of her. A man is standing next to her with a knife in his hand. The body is kicking. I say to the man what are you doing, he says well i’m going to stab this baby in the back of the head and kill it so that I can take it out of the woman. I say, do you do this often. He says, oh I’ve done this many times as a matter of fact I’ll be doing it a few more times today. I say, thank God I won’t be here to see that and I leave. Did I make the moral choice?
February 1st, 2010 | 7:59 pm
Aren’t facts about premeditation best left to the jury to decide if a jury trial is taking place? I agree with the conviction, but that instruction re: premeditation strikes me as somewhat improper.
February 8th, 2010 | 2:34 pm
Abortion is legal.
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