WICHITA — A jury took just 37 minutes Friday to convict an anti-abortion activist of murder for putting a gun to the head of abortion doctor George Tiller and pulling the trigger in the foyer of a church.
Attorneys for Scott Roeder had hoped to argue for a lesser conviction of voluntary manslaughter, based on the defendant’s belief that the killing was justified to save the lives of unborn children. But the judge threw out that defense a day earlier, leaving jurors to choose between a murder conviction or acquittal.
Roeder, 51, of Kansas City, Mo., admitted his actions on the witness stand. He faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison.
Defense attorney Mark Rudy described his case as “helpless and hopeless.”
“I’ve never seen anyone lay himself out as much as Mr. Roeder did,” Rudy said after the verdict, referring to his client’s confessions.
Both sides of the abortion debate lined up to respond to the verdict. Abortion-rights advocates said the decision would send a message to the militant fringe of the anti-abortion movement.
Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, said she hoped the verdict would be a “deterrent to those that are considering following in Roeder’s footsteps.”
Troy Newman, president of Wichita-based Operation Rescue, said “pro-life was not on trial. An insane man doing an insane thing was on trial.”
He said Roeder “could have saved us about three weeks of taxpayers’ time and the city’s agony if he would have just confessed to it up front.”
Roeder could be considered for parole after 25 years. But prosecutor Nola Foulston said she would seek to ensure that he serve at least 50 years before being eligible. Sentencing was set for March 9.
In the courtroom, Tiller’s family held hands and fought tears as the verdicts were read.
Tiller’s widow, Jeanne, later released a statement saying that the jury had “reached a just verdict.”
The family said it wanted Tiller to be “remembered for his legacy of service to women, the help he provided for those who needed it and the love and happiness he provided us as a husband, father and grandfather.”
During closing arguments Friday, Rudy urged the jury to reject the murder charge.
“No one,” he said, “should be convicted based on his convictions.”
Rudy mentioned leaders who stood up for their beliefs, including the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
