Suspected killer's Topeka ties

The man who is suspected of killing abortion doctor George Tiller grew up in Topeka.

He moved to Topeka with his family when he was just a toddler.

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Scott Roeder Yearbook Photos

Here are photos of Scott Roeder during his senior year at Topeka High in 1976.

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Scott Roeder went to Topeka High school.

He graduated in 1976.

According to the yearbook-- Roeder didn't belong to any clubs...

But there is a picture of him in the yearbook during spirit week. Roeder is dressed up as a 1950's greaser...

We dug into Roeder's criminal history.

In April of 1996 Roeder was pulled over by a Shawnee County Sheriff's Deputy for not having a correct license plate.

Deputies found bomb making materials in his car...

Roeder was arrested and charged with "criminal use of explosives" and several misdemeanors, including driving with a suspended license, and no registration or liability insurance.

The court ruled that Roeder showed "a lack of respect for the laws of the state of Kansas" and that he posed a "significant threat to [the] safety of [the] community."

He was found guilty on all charges...and sentenced to 2 years of probation.

The following year, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison for violating his probation by not filing his income tax returns.

But, on appeal, the "criminal use of explosives" charge was thrown out, when a judge found deputies performed an illegal search of the car.

He eventually left Topeka, and moved to the Kansas City suburbs.

His brother, David, still lives here.

We stopped by his house this afternoon, but the driveway was blocked off by a locked gate.

We left a note, but a neighbor told us the David was upset by what had happened and just wanted to be left alone.

He did release a statement to the Topeka Capital Journal.

“We know Scott as a kind and loving son, brother and father who suffered from mental illness at various times in his life.

“However, none of us ever saw Scott as a person capable of or willing to take another person's life,” the statement read.

It went on to say the family was "shocked and horrified" and that their prayers went out to the Tiller family.