A born-again Christian who said he killed a prominent US abortion doctor to save the lives of unborn babies was found guilty of first degree murder on Friday.
Scott Roeder had pleaded not guilty to murdering George Tiller in the foyer of a Kansas church in May, arguing that he had committed manslaughter to prevent a “greater harm.”
But it took jurors just 37 minutes to reject Roeder’s justifications for killing Tiller, 67, one of a handful of doctors in the US to perform abortions into the third trimester of pregnancies.
The doctor had been a lightning rod for anti-abortion foes, who nicknamed him “Tiller the baby killer.”
“It sends a clear message that this kind of conduct is not justified under the law,” Chief Deputy District Attorney Kim Parker told reporters after the speedy verdict.
Roeder, 51, insisted during his testimony that he had good reason to kill Tiller and admitted to spending years planning how to do it.
In a move that critics feared could provide cover for acts of political violence, Roeder sought to convince jurors he was only guilty of voluntary manslaughter.
Under Kansas law, voluntary manslaughter can apply when actions are taken based on an unreasonable but honest defense that he or she is preventing a greater harm.
But District Judge Warren Wilbert ruled that he would not allow jurors to consider the lesser offense.
“Abortion is legal in Kansas. Late-term abortions are legal in Kansas,” Wilbert said on Thursday in the absence of the jury.
He told jurors on Friday their task was a simple one: if they found beyond a reasonable doubt that Roeder killed Tiller with premeditation, it was their responsibility to convict him of first degree murder.
Public defender Mark Rudy said the verdict did not come as a surprise to Roeder, who was already contemplating his appeal.
Rudy said the case became “hopeless” and “helpless” once Wilbert ruled that jurors could not convict Roeder of a lesser crime than first degree murder.
“Obviously, we knew they were not going to let him go,” Rudy told reporters.
Tiller’s family issued a statement applauding the “just verdict” and thanking prosecutors and the police for their hard work.
Heavy security surrounded the high-profile trial, which was attended by activists on both sides of the debate but nobody disrupted the proceedings.
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