Colorado shooting suspect in court
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — The man accused in the shooting rampage at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic made his first court appearance Monday and learned that he will face first-degree murder charges in the deaths of three people killed in the standoff with police.
Speaking in a raspy voice, Robert Lewis Dear appeared via a video hookup from the El Paso County Jail, where he has been held since surrendering after Friday’s five-hour siege.
The white-bearded suspect wore a padded vest and gazed downward during most of the hearing. Victims’ relatives watched from a courtroom.
When asked by Chief District Judge Gilbert Martinez if he understood his rights, Dear replied, “no questions.”
Public defender Daniel King, who represented Colorado theater shooter James Holmes, stood beside Dear and will act as his attorney. The suspect is expected to be formally charged on Dec. 9.
Dear, 57, is accused of fatally shooting a university police officer who responded to the attack, as well as an Iraq war veteran and a mother of two inside the clinic. Nine other people were wounded.
After Monday’s hearing, District Attorney Dan May said Dear could face other charges, but he did not elaborate.
Police have declined to speculate on a motive for the attack. A law enforcement official said Dear told authorities, “no more baby parts,” after being arrested.