Robert Lewis Dear, the 57-year-old man accused of opening fire on a Colorado
Springs Planned Parenthood clinic last year plans to plead guilty, per
a recent conversation with a KCNC-TV reporter. The attack, which occurred
on November 27, 2015, left three people dead and nine others wounded.
A Brutal Attack
According to law enforcement, Dear begin firing a semiautomatic rifle outside
of the clinic at approximately 11:30 AM on November 27th, before heading inside the building. Dear has stated that he expected
to die that day, but ultimately surrendered after a 5-hour long standoff
with police. When the incident was over, one police officer and two civilians
had been killed, with five more officers and four other civilians shot
and injured.
Was Dear Sane?
In the interview with the local CBS affiliate, Dear stated that he believed
that FBI agents had been tailing him for decades, claiming that 10 agents
were following him on the day of the attack. He added that the FBI had
also been harassing him, claiming that they regularly broke into his trailer
to cut holes in his clothes.
Dear was assigned a public defender in the case, the same man who had previously
represented the Aurora movie theater shooter. While being formally charged,
however, Dear refused counsel from the public defender, and stated that
he wished to represent himself. To ensure his competency, El Paso County
District Court Judge Gilbert Martinez ordered a mental evaluation of Dear,
but the suspect has so far refused to cooperate – stating that "…I
am sane, I am coherent."
Facing Serious Charges
Dear has been charged with 179 counts of first-degree murder, assault,
attempted murder, and a host of other crimes. Based on his recent interview
with KCNC-TV, Dear does not plan to fight these charges, stating "…I'm
just an honest man and I believe I'm guilty, so I am just going to
plead guilty."
While Dear has publicly stated his guilt in this case, many other Colorado
residents are wrongfully accused of crimes every year. In many other cases,
overly aggressive prosecutors or vengeful parties can turn a simple mistake
into a serious criminal charge. If you need tough defense against charges,
call our Colorado Springs criminal defense attorney today.
Are you facing criminal charges? If so,
call (719) 941-1127 to learn how we can help.