Roeder Motion On Jury Qualification

We've previously reported on the motion filed by Roeder's defense team to restrict jury selection based on jurors views on the death penalty. We've obtained a copy of the motion and supporting brief. We're still going through them but wanted to get them out to you as quickly as possible.

(We've had to pull the documents due to a page lock error the script was causing. We'll get them back as quick as we can)

Roeder Motion On Jury Qualification

AP reports FBI received letter about Roeder (UPDATED)

According to the AP, a month before Dr. Tiller's murder, the FBI received a letter warning Scott Roeder planned on hurting Dr. Tiller or other providers.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation says that more than a month before Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed, it received an anonymous letter warning about the man now charged in the case.

FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton says the April letter warned that Scott Roeder would physically harm Tiller or any other abortion provider.

The letter turned out to have been written by Mark Archer. He and his wife are in the midst of a bitter custody battle with Roeder over a child Roeder fathered.

Roeder has been charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault in Tiller's May 31 killing.

Patton says the agency found no specific, credible threat in the letter.

The letter was sent by Mark Archer to the FBI who has commented on this blog about Roeder's concern for born children. We at Roeder Watch understand not following through on anonymous letters that do not give specific information concerning a crime. Of greater concern is that the FBI did not follow through on FACE violations carried out by Roeder at a Kansas City area clinic in May leading up to the murder. Violence is increasing at clinics across the country, and law enforcement is not routinely protecting women's rights throughout the country. On a more positive note, the Bellevue Police Department is working to prevent violence to Dr. Carhart. Dr. Carhart is under threat of legal action through Operation Rescue on similar trumped up charges as Dr. Tiller faced. This summer, Operation Rescue launched their "Keep it Closed" campaign which was attended by convicted domestic terrorists as well as several others who commonly traveled from out of state to harass Dr. Tiller and his patients.

UPDATE: The AP talked to Mark Archer concerning the letter.

AP reports FBI received letter about Roeder (UPDATED)

Scott Roeder Seeks Change of Venue (Updated)

On Tuesday, November 10th Scott Roeder's defense team filed a motion requesting a change of venue. We're going over the motion right now and will have more details soon. For now, here is an small portion of the argument from the "Brief In Support Of Motion For Change Of Venue."

In the instant case, the defendant is accused of shooting and killing an infamous lat term abortionist, Dr. George Tiller. Dr. Tiller was only one of a handful of licensed medical professionals in the entire country who was willing to perform 2nd and 3rd Trimester abortions. The victim was outspoken regarding his professional actions, and was aggressive in the defense of his livelihood. As a result, a large and strong contingent of anti-abortion opponents remained vigilant in a likewise aggressive manner, and the victim's abortion clinic, located in Wichita, Kansas served as the epicenter of the abortion protest/debate for decades. As a result, at the time of his death, r. George Tiller was the most well-known resident of Sedgwick County on a national scale.

As a result of his demise on May 31, 2009, the life and death of George Tiller was fully played out in both the local and natinal media. A candlelight vigil was held on the evening of his death in Wichita where thousands of individuals gathered to pay homage. All national media outlets, including network television, national daily publications, and major internet news sources ran stories detailing the events of the killing with utmost priority. The local media, which was fresh off the heels of covering the trial in which Dr. Tiller was accused of violating the abortion laws of the State of Kansas, examined the incident, as well as the involved individuals, with relentless scrutiny.

The death of George Tiller represented the confluence of controversial issues deeply ingrained into the mindset of multiple generations of Wichita residents. The point-blank shooting of the world's most famous abortionist, accomplished in a House of Worship, set against the backdrop of the heated, bitter debate which surrounds the act of human abortion.

The defendant, Scott Roeder, was arrested and charged within hours of the death of Dr. Tiller. Allegations surrounding the alleged political beliefs of the defendant appeared and were broadcast/printed immediately. Individuals who claimed to know the defendant were quoted, with inflammatory statements damming the defendant. AN overturned conviction of the defendant was revealed and detailed, and unsubstantiated aspersions were cast in the heat of the moment.

There is much more and we'll get it to you as soon as we can.

UPDATE: Here is the motion and brief for change of venue (we've had to pull the documents until we can find a way to post them that won't slow up the site)

Scott Roeder Seeks Change of Venue (Updated)

Scott Roeder would not kill a fly, a man yes but not a fly

In 1996 Scott Roeder was arrested after a sheriff's deputy found ammunition and a blasting cap in Roeder's car. His conviction was eventually over turned due to a Constitutional violation. Tim Hrenchir interviewed Roeder's father following that arrest.

If Roeder's father is correct (and as a father he's allowed to see his son through rose colored glasses) then there are more involved in the assassination of Dr. Tiller than just Scott Roeder. “Scott would not kill a fly,” his father said in the interview. “He won’t step on a worm. So how could he possibly, unless he was being used by somebody, be planning anything that would take human life?” (emphasis added)

You have to wonder who really got Roeder to pull the trigger.

Scott Roeder would not kill a fly, a man yes but not a fly

Domestic Terrorist (Sympathiser) Contacts Roeder Watch

First it was in the comments now we're hearing from a terrorist sympathiser via e-mail (the all caps is not for your eye sight, that's how it was written).

I AM VERY GLAD MR. ROEDER DID WHAT HE DID. HE PROTECTED THE LIFES OF MANY UNBORN CHILDREN

IF YOU WANT TO UPHOLD AHD SUPPORT A BABY MURDERER LIKE TILLER, I HOPE GOD FORGIVES YOU.

I SINCERELY HOPE THAT GOD FORGAVE MR. TILLER FOR ALL THE WANTON KILLING HE PERFORMED. I GUESS HE FORGOT HIS HIPPOCRATIC OATH OF FIRST, DO NO HARM.

I THINK MR ROEDER IS A HERO AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE TO MANY CHILDREN WHETHER THEY KNOW IT OR NOT.

I THINK HE IS A HERO. MR. ROEDER THAT IS.

SIGNED
ARMANDO M ACOSTA

Isn't it just great that we need to be forgiven for supporting Dr. Tiller but it seems to be okay to support a terrorist assassin. Wow, talk about being a hypocrit!

Mr. Acosta, you're entitled to your opinion . . . no matter how sick and twisted it is. But don't worry, you're not alone in your idiocy.

Domestic Terrorist (Sympathiser) Contacts Roeder Watch

National Organization for Women & Rachel Maddow on Roeder's confession

First, the National Organization for Women released a statement today urging federal action in light of Scott Roeder's confession to the AP.

"The absurdity of his defense is insulting and dangerous to women, but it also reveals his terrorist methodology using murder to accomplish his political goals," says NOW President Terry O'Neill. "It is precisely this unrepentant domestic terrorism -- and those who fund it -- that must be stopped or else we will see more clinic violence and people will be killed," said O'Neill.

NOW is calling on the Obama Administration and the Justice Department to treat this as domestic terrorism, and use every aspect of anti-terrorism laws to prosecute Roeder and to find and stop his funders. We urge the administration to freeze the assets of people or organizations, domestic and international, who helped fund and supported Roeder's anti-choice activities.

When we freeze Dave Leach's assets, could he maybe take an English class? None of us at Roeder Watch can finish anything he writes (we desire to keep our minds largely intact).

Terry O'Neill is an awesome woman. I've had the pleasure to meet her a couple of times in the last few months. I am glad NOW continues to inform everyone murdering abortion providers is terrorism. And, hey, now that Roeder has admitted to it, no one has to call him the "accused killer" any longer. Scott Roeder: Domestic Terrorist.

Rachel Maddow briefly covered this story tonight, showing pictures of three of the people who signed the latest "Defensive Action Statement" (aka Promotion of Terrorism Statement):

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

National Organization for Women & Rachel Maddow on Roeder's confession

Roeder says "I don't have any regrets" about murdering Dr. Tiller (UPDATED)

(Link and quote updated below)

The AP released a more detailed article about today's interview with Scott Roeder in which he admitted to murdering Dr. Tiller.

Defiant and unapologetic, a man accused of shooting a Kansas abortion provider confessed to the slaying Monday, telling The Associated Press that he killed the doctor to protect unborn children. ...

"Because of the fact preborn children's lives were in imminent danger this was the action I chose. ... I want to make sure that the focus is, of course, obviously on the preborn children and the necessity to defend them," Roeder said.

"Defending innocent life — that is what prompted me. It is pretty simple," he said. ...

"No, I don’t have any regrets because I have been told so far at least four women have changed their minds, that I know of, and have chosen to have the baby," Roeder said. "So even if one changed her mind it would be worth it. No, I don’t have any regrets." ...

In rambling phone and jailhouse interviews shortly after his arrest in May, Roeder has said he would be pleased if others took action to stop abortion by any means necessary.

"Violence is not wrong in all situations, so if it takes that — then if it is done righteously — then, if it's done, it is OK," Roeder has said.

ter⋅ror⋅ism [ter-uh-riz-uhm]

–noun 1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.
2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization.
3. a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government.

When you use murder to convince women to carry pregnancy to term, you did not choose life: you terrorize people.

This is a bad defense, and it will fail. This will not empower wannabe domestic terrorists to embark on a full-blown reign of terror against American women and our medical doctors. This will, instead, send a disturbed man to prison for the rest of his life, and it will encourage others to sacrifice their lives to prison while they continue to terrorize women, our families, our friends, and our health care providers.

Also of note, I have heard supporters of Roeder say two women had continued their pregnancies due to Dr. Tiller's death. One of them, while being interviewed by a Norwegian paper, said Roeder's actions kept them from "saving more babies". Women simply went elsewhere, and sidewalk anti-choice militants couldn't shout at women and harangue them out of having an abortion at that time. It might seem like this man couldn't be called a "supporter" of Roeder, but since he was spending a lot of time with convicted domestic terrorists Jennifer McCoy (who attended Roeder's hearing) and Cheryl Sullenger, I stand by calling him a "supporter". At the very least, he's not sorry Dr. Tiller's dead; he's just sorry he can no longer terrorize women locally in Wichita.

Roeder says "I don't have any regrets" about murdering Dr. Tiller (UPDATED)

Roeder admits to killing Dr. George Tiller

According to the AP (linked through KWCH Wichita, Scott Roeder has confessed to killing Dr. George Tiller. He plans on using the so-called "necessity defense" at his January trial.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Scott Roeder has confessed to the shooting of a Kansas abortion provider.

The 51-year-old Kansas City, Mo., man told The Associated Press in a telephone call from jail Monday that he plans to use the so-called necessity defense at his trial. Roeder contends the killing of Dr. George Tiller in May at a Wichita church was justified to protect the lives of unborn children.

His confession comes as abortion opponents across the nation release a new "Defensive Action Statement" arguing for the same force to protect the unborn as is justified to protect born children.

The 21 signers want jurors to be allowed to consider that defense at Roeder's Jan. 11 trial. Among the signers are Eric Rudolph, James Kopp and Shelley Shannon - all serving prison time for targeting abortion doctors.

He's been hinting at this for a long time, but he has finally said it.

This is NOT a confession for a guilty plea. As it appears, since he admitted it to the press, he is not going to change his plea. He plans on putting Dr. Tiller on trial, as we have long suspected here on Roeder Watch.

UPDATE: We found a longer article concerning Roeder's admission.

Roeder admits to killing Dr. George Tiller

eBay removes last items in aberrant auction

Last night, the "prolife Bible" and "Catechism" were the first items posted in the Auction for Cowardly Assassinating Providers. Within the last half hour, they were removed. eBay had said they "would look into them". Seems they saw them as what they were: justification and glorification of violence.

Do expect Roeder's groupies to continue trying:

"I am very disappointed in eBay," Dinwiddie said. "I thought that was the last bastion of free enterprise in America with no political viewpoint, but I see I was mistaken about that."

eBay removes last items in aberrant auction

Scott Roeder Auction Items - Take a Look For Yourself

Talking Points Memo got pictures of some of the items being auctioned on behalf of Scott Roeder before they got pulled.

Word is there are still a couple of items that won't be pulled due to their "religious nature." Not sure on that but we'll keep looking and reporting them when we find them.

Scott Roeder Auction Items - Take a Look For Yourself

eBay Auction for Scott Roeder Begins . . . Then Gets Pulled

Those wacky anti-choice folks must have thought eBay was just joking when it said that an auction to raise money for Scott Roeder would not be allowed. They have started posting items to try and raise money for Roeder. Luckily eBay appears to be on it and has started pulling the items. The Associated Press reports that "some of the more obscure items were still posted Monday morning." If you're on eBay and see some of this trash, make sure you use the report link to report an inappropriate listing so eBay can get it pulled.

eBay Auction for Scott Roeder Begins . . . Then Gets Pulled

Great Analysis of the Roeder - eBay - Auction - Publicity Stunt

Mike Hendricks of the Kansas City Star has a great analysis of the publicity stunt that was the eBay auction for Roeder. We've reprinted it below. Until it disappears into the internet archives, you can read it here.

Mike Hendricks: Roeder not another John Brown, David

Little David slew the mighty Goliath and held aloft the Philistine's severed head.

Rembrandt and Caravaggio painted the bloody scene from 1 Samuel. Now comes Scott Roeder, the man charged with killing George Tiller. Roeder recently submitted for auction an autographed copy of a cartoon depicting his own version of the story.

"Tiller" is written across the forehead of the slain warrior. And for the role of David?

It's not spelled out, and as there is that presumption of innocence in our legal system, I'll leave it for you to decide what Roeder had in mind.

But biblical comparisons aside, Roeder's supporters have yet another notion of who Roeder represents to them, despite his not-guilty plea in the murder of the Wichita abortion provider.

He's a modern-day John Brown, reflecting the fact many in the anti-abortion movement compare themselves to the 19th-century abolitionists.

"We liken him to that," said David Leach, when I reached the Des Moines abortion opponent by phone last week.

Leach, along with Regina Dinwiddie of Kansas City, had tried to organize an online fundraiser on Roeder's behalf. Last week eBay put the kibosh on it (though Dinwiddie has said the auction will go on).

My interest, however, was in the comparisons, which are all over the Internet, between Brown, the anti-slavery crusader, and Roeder, the abortion foe. True, both were zealous believers in a cause.

"But it isn't just that they believed in it," Leach said. "There were actual human beings who were suffering that both intervened to rescue."

Roeder has admitted nothing. But he donated three cartoons to the auction, the stated purpose of which was to raise money to pay an attorney who would argue that Tiller wasn't murdered but instead was the victim of justifiable homicide.

"In my writings, I've been calling it the necessity defense," Leach said.

Chances of a judge allowing that defense in a Kansas courtroom are about as remote as Leach and his compatriots being able to raise the big bucks it would take to hire a lawyer willing to employ the risky strategy.

Even Leach acknowledges that Kansas law allows lethal force only "when the harm you're preventing is unlawful." And despite claims to the contrary by abortion opponents, Tiller's conduct in performing late-term abortions was lawful, as far as the legal system was concerned.

In short, the eBay auction was a publicity stunt aimed at confusing the issue. After all, what Roeder stands accused of is an act of cowardice, not nobility.

One Sunday morning in May, an armed assailant shot an unarmed Tiller to death at point-blank range in a church.

Dressing it up otherwise doesn't change that fact, or that the person who did it is a common murderer and no more.

Great Analysis of the Roeder - eBay - Auction - Publicity Stunt

Foul Play Ruled Out In Death of Retired U.S. Marshal

The Wichita Eagle reports that an autopsy has been performed on Retired U.S. marshal Richard Schroeder and foul play has been ruled out. Mr. Schroeder died of natural causes.

Foul Play Ruled Out In Death of Retired U.S. Marshal

Dinwiddie tells eBay they're discriminating against her religion

"Dinwiddie’s lawyer sent a letter to eBay on Thursday saying that 'my client feels that your proposed course of action smacks of religious discrimination.'"

The Auction for Cowardly Assassinating Providers will go on, even on eBay, says Regina Dinwiddie. Why? Because she's not a country bumpkin who'll roll over when threatened. It doesn't seem eBay threatened anyone. Dinwiddie and the others involved in ACAP threaten and murder.

If your religion is to kill, the Constitution does not allow your free exercise thereof. We can't even marry two people; what makes you think you can kill?

Dinwiddie tells eBay they're discriminating against her religion