The man who gunned down an abortion doctor in a Kansas church was sentenced today to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 50 years. Judge Warren Wilbert told Roeder said there were no mitigating factors to convince him to give Roeder a lesser sentence.
Roeder was found guilty in January of first degree murder for shooting Dr. George Tiller in the face in the foyer of Tiller’s church. Roeder was also convicted of two counts of aggravated assault for threatening two church ushers while made his escape.
At issue today was whether Roeder would be sentenced to life in prison with a possibility of parole after 25 years, or receive the harsher “Hard 50” sentence. Under Kansas law a judge can hand down the Hard 50 (no possibility of parole until after 50 years have been served) if prosecutors provide evidence of an “aggravating circumstance” that make the crime particularly reprehensible. Judge Wilber ruled that several aggravating circumstances existed in Roeder’s crime, chief among them the fact that Roeder chose to commit his murder inside a place of worship and put many other people in danger.
Scott Roeder interrupted Prosecutor Ann Swegle’s cross examination of defense witness psychologist Dr. George Hough. They were discussing the Dr.’s opinion as to whether Roeder acted rationally when he killed Dr. Tiller. “To protect unborn babies. I can’t just sit here anymore,” Roeder shouted. The Judge admonished Roeder and threatened to have him removed from the courtroom if he interrupted proceedings again. Roeder was later allowed to read a long, rambling statement punctuated with Bible quotes he had written. In it he angrily justified his killing of Dr. Tiller as necessary to prevent the “murders” of unborn children because, he said, government had failed to protect them. Roeder’s own attorney, Mark Rudy, appeared uncomfortable as he sat next to his client during the latter’s 40 minute diatribe. Judge Wilbert finally cut Roeder off when the convicted killer began to call for the ouster of Sedgewick County D.A. Nola Foulston. As the day dragged on, Roeder repeatedly resumed his statement, only to be stopped again and again by the Judge.
Members of Tiller’s family shed tears of relief as the sentence was imposed.