Associates of Scott Roeder, the alleged murderer of Kansas abortion provider George Tiller, MD, have announced plans to auction items online to support Roeder’s legal defense. Items to be sold in the auction include an Army of God manual, an autographed protest bullhorn, and a prison cookbook written by Shelley Shannon, who shot Dr. Tiller 5 times in 1993.
Kathy Spillar, executive vice president of the Feminist Majority Foundation told the Kansas City Star that “the network of extremists promoting and defending the murder of doctors is contributing to escalating threats against clinics and doctors across the country.”
The trial for Roeder has been postponed until January 2010. Roeder’s trial for first degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault had originally been set to begin in September of this year. If convicted of all charges, Roeder faces life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
Dr. Tiller, who was medical director of the Women’s Health Care Services clinic in Wichita, Kansas, was killed in May at his church. The Department of Justice opened an investigation in June to look into possible federal crimes associated with the murder. The federal government also convened a meeting of the National Task Force on Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers in the days following the murder and Attorney General Eric Holder deployed US Marshals to protect highly threatened clinics and staff.
