Justice

The Planned Parenthood Shooter Just Eliminated Any Doubt About His Motive

December 9th 2015

Robert Lewis Dear, 57, the suspect in last month's shooting at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic didn't wait for a court of law to deliver a verdict.

Instead, he took it upon himself, confirming a motive many already suspected. "I am guilty, there will be no trial," Dear yelled in a Colorado Springs courtroom Wednesday afternoon.

"I am a warrior for the babies," a CBS Denver affiliate reported him saying.

Related: The Troubling History of Violence at Reproductive Health Clinics

"You'll never know the amount of blood I saw in that place," he added.

According to CBS Denver, Dear made the impromptu announcement during a procedural discussion over whether to allow cameras in the courtroom. Prosecutors said that they plan to file 179 counts against Dear, whose high-profile November 27 attack left three dead and nine others wounded, and re-ignited a national discussion around gun control, and the sexual health rights of women.

RELATED: TED CRUZ BLAMES MULTIPLE GROUPS FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD SHOOTING

Dear's courtroom outburst backed up his previous claims indicating the attack was motivated by anti-abortion beliefs. Shortly after the attack, Dear was reported as saying "no more baby parts," as authorities arrested him.

It's not clear yet whether Dear, who had a history of violent behavior, and whose former wife described him as being deeply religious, will face the death penalty, USA Today reported.

RELATED: THOUSANDS OF TEXAS WOMEN HAVE TRIED TO PERFORM THEIR OWN ABORTION

The case also drew attention to the broader trend of violence directed at reproductive clinics. Dear's shooting marks the ninth murder by anti-abortion activists since 1977, according to National Abortion Federation (NAF) numbers. The organization reports that some 17 attempted murders have occurred since 1977, as well as thousands of incidents of vandalism, arson, bioterrorism threats, trespassing, and death threats just since 1995.

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