Posted on 05/10/2003 10:16:20 AM PDT by Marianne
He insisted he is not a murderer.
He swore that he shot Dr. Barnett A. Slepian only because he was trying to wound him and prevent him from aborting unborn babies.
But after listening to James C. Kopp's story for 90 minutes Friday, a judge gave him the maximum sentence for the 1998 assassination of the Amherst physician and abortion provider.
Saying he disputes Kopp's claim that he did not intend to kill Slepian, Erie County Judge Michael L. D'Amico sentenced the 48-year-old anti-abortion activist to 25 years to life in prison.
D'Amico said he found it "inconceivable" that Kopp was only trying to injure Slepian when he hid in the woods behind the doctor's home and fired at him with a high-powered rifle.
Though not unexpected, the sentence touched off emotional reactions outside the heavily guarded courtroom.
"Shame on America! Shame on America!" shouted Hettie Pasco, a longtime protester at Buffalo abortion clinics. "How about legalizing mass murder in America?"
"We hope this will send a very strong message to other extremists," said Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation. "There is no way to justify this murder."
"It was the right sentence for a very cowardly crime," District Attorney Frank J. Clark said afterward. "Again and again, Kopp has shown absolutely no remorse. He hid in the dark, fired into a man's home and ran away. Now he's doing what a coward does - blame everyone else for what he did."
Kopp, who could still face a federal trial later this year, showed little reaction to the sentence. The admitted sniper could apply for state parole in 25 years, but prosecutors said they will do everything in their power to keep him behind bars for the rest of his life.
His version of events
In a rambling and defiant address to the court, Kopp defended the concept of taking violent action against abortion providers. He repeatedly referred to Slepian as a "mass murderer" who had "killed 25,000 babies" and needed to be stopped from killing more.
"Why should the safety of Dr. Slepian be put above the safety of weak, vulnerable children?" Kopp said.
Speaking in a faltering voice, Kopp said any doctor who continues to perform abortions "is exposing himself to actual danger." He also criticized police, prosecutors and judges for "protecting" abortionists.
Kopp also offered his version of the night of the crime, including a claim that he used a bicycle to escape from the murder scene, rode the bike to his car and then drove to a local motel.
Kopp's description of the bicycle escape differed sharply from the view of law enforcement officials, who say Kopp was seen near the Slepian home stepping into a getaway car - possibly driven by a woman - minutes after the slaying.
"Clearly one of his main themes was, "I acted alone,' " said prosecutor Joseph J. Marusak. "He says no one helped him. He says he stayed in a motel, but can't remember the name of the motel. He says he used an alias at the motel, but can't remember what it was. It's all a flat-out lie."
Widow, three children present
The murder case, which attracted worldwide publicity and sent Buffalo FBI agents on a worldwide manhunt, was the first time in U.S. history that an abortion provider was murdered in his home.
Among those watching in a packed courtroom were Lynne Slepian, the doctor's widow, and three of their four sons - Philip, 12; Michael, 15; and Brian, 18. It was the first time the boys have appeared in court in connection with their father's murder. The eldest Slepian son, Andrew, 20, was taking a college exam.
A statement from Slepian, telling of the pain Kopp has inflicted on her family and asking for the maximum sentence, was read into the record by the chief prosecutor, Joseph Marusak.
"James Kopp is an evil man who does not deserve to ever have his life back again," Slepian said in the letter. "He only deserves to spend the rest of his life behind bars."
"A dangerous sociopath'
Marusak described Kopp as a cold, calculating killer who practiced at a shooting range, quietly stalked Slepian for months and later lied to friends and family members, claiming the FBI and Amherst police were framing him for the crime.
"This defendant is nothing more than a dangerous sociopath - plain and simple," Marusak said.
"If he gets out," Marusak said, "he's going to do something (violent)."
Known as "Atomic Dog" in the world of anti-abortion extremists, Kopp has been arrested about 100 times in protests and demonstrations. He is the prime suspect in sniper attacks on doctors who provided abortions in Perinton, east of Rochester, and in three Canadian cities, all of which took place before the Slepian assassination.
After the slaying in Amherst, Kopp fled to Mexico, Scotland and Ireland and was captured in Dinan, France, in March 2001, after his name had been placed on the FBI's list of Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.
Insisting at first that he was innocent and was being framed, Kopp shocked law enforcement officials last November by confessing to the Slepian attack in a jailhouse interview with The Buffalo News.
Speaking in court Friday, Kopp said he had scouted Slepian's home and his Maple Road medical office on several occasions before shooting him. Kopp told of an alleged close call he had with Amherst police about a half-mile from the Slepian home on Oct. 20, 1998, three nights before the murder.
Kopp said he had been on one of his scouting missions and had driven through a stop sign in plain view of an Amherst police officer in a nearby patrol car.
The police car followed him for a couple of blocks, Kopp said, but the officer did not order him to pull over.
"If he had ticketed me, I doubt if I ever would have shot Dr. Slepian," Kopp said.
Marusak said he is unaware of any such incident, and added that he would be "reluctant to believe anything said by this defendant."
Lawyer agrees with views
Bruce A. Barket, Kopp's Long Island attorney, told the Slepian family he is sincerely sorry that they lost a husband and father.
But Barket said he agrees with Kopp's anti-abortion views and added that many other Americans also oppose abortion.
"He acted to protect human life," Barket said of Kopp. "I have said before, I think Jim Kopp is a hero, and today I think he will become a martyr. . . . He poses no threat to anyone in society, except to those who pose a threat to the most innocent and vulnerable among us."
"A call to action'
Elizabeth Sholes, a pro-choice activist who knew Slepian and spent 10 years helping to escort patients to his offices, said she found Kopp's words chilling.
"Clearly he advocates more violence against doctors and is urging his supporters to do more violence," Sholes said. "His speech was a call to action."
Sholes, who sat near the Slepian family during Friday's marathon court session, said family members showed little reaction, even when Kopp called Slepian a murderer and compared abortion doctors to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis.
"They've suffered so much and have been hurt so much by this man already," Sholes said. "I don't think anything he could have said in court today would have surprised them. They were ready for the worst."
If God wanted you to kill in His name you'd be living in the Middle East, not upstate New York.
Sorry, but I can't muster up any sympathy for Slepian or his family....they new what a dirty business they were in......
Slepian killed a lot more people than Kopp did.....Slepian knew what he was doing and that it was dangerous work...the babies had no such knowledge.......Murder is against the law...I am a law abiding citizen..Kopp got what the law says that he should get..Kopp also knew what awaited him if he was caught an convicted....Of the two killers, Kopp is the most honorable.
I thought Libertarians did not like the death sentence.
Nor do I.
Now, let's try this again. Do you approve of what Kopp did?
Murder is not what you say it is; murder is what the law says it is. According to the law, Kopp is guilty of murder. I hope he spends the rest of his life behind bars.
Only to nasty sickos like Kopp himself.
Oh, he is a murderer allright. He should get out only long enough to be tried for the other crimes of which he is accused.
Some don't. I do.
You really think putting a serial murderer out of action deserves a death sentence?
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