The gunman who killed three people and wounded nine others at a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs pleaded guilty to the crime and proclaimed that he did it because he was a "warrior for the babies."
During his court appearance on Wednesday, Robert Lewis Dear made several outbursts after prosecutors charged him with 179 crimes related to the shooting, including first degree and attempted first degree murder charges.
According to the L.A. Times, investigators had difficulty in determining his real motive. But Dear saved them the trouble by exclaiming, "I am guilty; there's no trial. I am a warrior for the babies. Protect the babies!"
When Dear's attorneys and the judge were discussing who would be included on a gag order that would prohibit any talk regarding the pending case, Dear interjected, "The babies that were supposed to be aborted that day, could you add them to that list?"
Because of Dear's actions, public defender Dan King wanted someone to evaluate "the depth of Mr. Dear's mental illness," but Dear would have none of it. He even told King, "You're not my lawyer."
When asked for a comment regarding the hearing, representatives for the Colorado state public defender's office and the 4th Judicial District Attorney's office did not provide any. Dear would be back in court on Dec. 23.
Dear attacked the Planned Parenthood clinic on Nov. 27. His attack claimed the lives of University of Colorado - Colorado Springs Officer Garrett Swasey, 44; Ke'Arre Stewart, 29; and Jennifer Markovsky, 35. Nine others were wounded, five of them police officers.
With regards to Dear's case, Planned Parenthood Executive Vice President Dawn Laguens tweeted, "Let's be clear: Violent rhetoric can lead to violent actions." Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards added, "Words matter."
