Clinic worker chased off suspect before doctor's slaying

Story Highlights NEW: Suspect tried to vandalize another clinic day before shooting, worker says Scott Roeder, 51, of the Kansas City, Kansas, area held without bond Dr. George Tiller shot and killed while ushering at his Wichita church Sunday Tiller was one few remaining doctors in the U.S. offering late-term abortions WICHITA, Kansas (CNN) -- The day before a Kansas abortion provider was gunned down at his church, the suspect in his slaying was chased off from another clinic he tried to vandalize, a worker there said Monday. Scott Roeder faces a scheduled court hearing Tuesday in the weekend slaying of Dr. George Tiller, one of the few U.S. doctors who still performed late-term abortions. Associates described Roeder as a regular participant in anti-abortion demonstrations in Kansas City and Wichita, where Tiller's practice was located, but most abortion opponents disavowed him Monday. Roeder was "a regular" in demonstrations outside Central Family Medicine in Kansas City, Kansas, a clinic worker told CNN. The worker, who spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity out of fears for his safety, said Roeder's height -- over 6 feet -- made him "hard to miss." Early Saturday morning, a worker at the clinic "actually chased after him" after spotting him trying to pour epoxy into the facility's locks two weekends in a row. Video surveillance cameras at the clinic captured Roeder on May 23, but not well enough "for any kind of conviction of any sort," the worker said. "He hit us in 2000, the same thing -- two weekends in a row," the worker said. But Saturday, "He only got one lock glued before we nailed him." Another clinic worker "managed to catch his license plate number," the worker said. "I reported this to federal authorities on Saturday." He said FBI agents told him nothing could be done with the information until a federal grand jury convened. The man said he memorized the license number -- and after learning of Tiller's killing on Sunday, he found out "that the license plate number of the getaway was the same as the license plate that we had here." Roeder, 51, was arrested about 30 miles southwest of Kansas City on Sunday, about three hours after Tiller's death. He faces possible first-degree murder charges in the killing and was being held without bond in the Sedgwick County jail, according to the sheriff's department. Watch panel discuss ramifications of slaying » Abortion is one of the most contentious issues in U.S. politics, and opposition to the practice has periodically spilled over into bloodshed. Tiller and his Wichita clinic were the target of frequent protests and legal challenges, and he had survived a 1993 shooting before being gunned down while serving as an usher Sunday. Roeder had a history of protesting at clinics where abortion is performed, one fellow protester who knew him told CNN, and he appears to have posted a message on the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue's Web site in 2007, calling for prayers to shut down Tiller's "death camp." "Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller," the message reads. Roeder also had been affiliated with the Freeman movement, an anti-government movement in the 1990s. In 1996, he was arrested in Kansas with explosives in his car; in court, a Shawnee County prosecutor called Roeder a "substantial threat to public safety" and said he refused to acknowledge the authority of the courts. Roeder served 16 months in prison and eight on probation before his conviction was overturned on appeal. Eugene Frye, who says he has known Roeder for years as an anti-tax campaigner, said just Roeder showed up at a recent abortion protest talking about this year's trial of Tiller, whom Frye called the "killer." Tiller was acquitted in March of 19 misdemeanor counts of performing unlawful procedures at his clinic, and Frye said Roeder had attended the trial. See what people are saying about Tiller's slaying » "He just said he'd been down there, and that the trial was a sham," Frye said. But he said he was surprised that Roeder was a suspect in Tiller's death, saying he never spoke of any kind of violence. Tiller describes the philosophy of his clinic in 1999 » But Regina Dinwiddie, a 54-year-old grandmother, said Roeder once confronted a doctor at a Planned Parenthood center, telling the physician, "Now I know what you look like." "Scott came out and told us that he had done that, and we all said, 'Scott, you better leave or they are gonna get after you,'" Dinwiddie said. "Next thing, all these people come rushing out of the place, all worried. Scott was standing up for what he believed in." Dinwiddie said Tiller's slaying was "absolutely" justified. "He forfeited his life by taking the lives of innocent children," she said. And in Iowa, Dan Holman, of the anti-abortion group Missionaries to the Preborn, told CNN that Tiller's death was something to "cheer." "I was cheered by it, because I knew he wouldn't be killing any more babies," Holman said. Holman protested a May 17 speech by President Obama in which the president urged Americans to find common ground on abortion. He told CNN that "all abortionists are deserving of death, and they are not the only ones. There are politicians and judges, and others who support this murder are also deserving of death." Asked to name names, he said, "George Bush, Barack Obama -- any politician that gives our tax money to Planned Parenthood and organizations that kill babies or participate in the killing of children deserve the same penalty." But the killing drew condemnation from national anti-abortion organizations. The Rev. Gary Cass, director of the Christian Anti-Defamation Commission, said, "This guy is not one of us, and if he thinks he is, then he is deluded." "I and so many others have been fighting in the movement within the parameters of the law, and all this does is paint us in a broad, awful stroke," Cass said. Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry told reporters in Washington that Tiller's killing was "wrong, period," and that anti-abortion leaders "are not responsible for George Tiller's death." But he added, "George Tiller was a mass murderer and horrifically, he reaped what he sowed." "We in the pro-life movement must not shrink from our duty to continue to use words that are highly charged, to do protests, to expose these abortionists, and to work for the complete eradication of child killing," he said. Clarence Roeder, the suspect's uncle, told CNN affiliate KMBC that Tiller's death was "a tragedy for the Tiller family." And Scott Roeder's ex-wife, Lindsey, told CNN that the killing was "a selfish thing to do." If he was behind the killing, she said, Roeder "didn't think of his son. He didn't think of the consequences this would have for anybody, his family or anyone in that church or in Dr. Tiller's family." During the 1990s, three doctors who performed abortions were slain in high-profile cases. See all abortion-related attacks since 1993 » In 1998, a sniper killed Dr. Barnett Slepian in his Amherst, New York, home. Anti-abortion activist James Kopp was later arrested in France and is serving life in prison. In 1994, Dr. John Bayard Britton and a volunteer escort were shot and killed outside an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida. Paul Hill, a former minister, was convicted in the killings and executed in 2003. In 1993, another doctor, David Gunn, was shot and killed outside another Pensacola clinic. His killer, Michael Griffin, is serving a life sentence. In addition, a nurse at a Birmingham, Alabama, clinic was maimed and an off-duty police officer was killed in a 1998 bombing by Eric Rudolph, who included abortion among his list of anti-government grievances. Rudolph admitted to that attack and three other bombings -- including the 1996 attack on the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia -- and is serving life in prison. CNN's Drew Griffin, Randi Kaye, Kathleen Johnston, Paul Vercammen, Ashley Fantz and Matt Smith contributed to this report. All AboutAbortion • Kansas • Wichita

Links referenced within this article Watch panel discuss ramifications of slaying » #cnnSTCVideo See what people are saying about Tiller's slaying » #cnnSTCOther1 Tiller describes the philosophy of his clinic in 1999 » #cnnSTCVideo abortions http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Abortion See all abortion-related attacks since 1993 » #cnnSTCOther2 Abortion http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Abortion Kansas http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Kansas Wichita http://topics.cnn.com/topics/Wichita

Find this article at: http://www.cnn.com/2009/CRIME/06/01/kansas.doctor.killed.charges/index.html?iref=newssearch

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Merriam Man Held In Connection With Tiller Shooting Suspect In Tiller Slaying Returned To Wichita

Merriam Man Held In Connection With Tiller Shooting Suspect In Tiller Slaying Returned To Wichita

JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. -- Services were just starting Sunday morning at Reformation Lutheran Church when members heard a pop. Someone thought it sounded like a balloon bursting.A gunman's single shot had mortally wounded Dr. George Tiller, an usher at the church and one of a few U.S. physicians performing late-term abortions."We just thought a child had come in with a balloon and it had popped, had gone up and hit the ceiling and popped," said Adam Watkins, a 20-year-old Wichita resident who had shaken hands with the doctor and his wife about 10 minutes before.Another usher came in and told the congregation to remain seated, then escorted Tiller's wife out. "When she got to the back doors, we heard her scream, and so we knew something bad had happened," Watkins said.Tiller, 67, had been the target of violence before: A protester had shot him in both arms as he left his clinic in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985. But, in the end, the place where Tiller faced the biggest threat turned out to be where he prayed."This is particularly heart-wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace," said a statement released on behalf of Tiller's wife, four children and 10 grandchildren.The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect was detained some 170 miles away in Johnson County, Kan., Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said.Johnson County Sheriff's deputies confirmed that Scott Roeder, of Merriam, Kan., was arrested and later taken away from the Johnson County Jail in an unmarked car after six hours of being held there. Roeder was driven to Wichita and will appear in court Monday afternoon.Police did not release a motive for the shooting. But the doctor's violent death was the latest in a string of shootings and bombings over two decades directed against abortion clinics, doctors and staff.The family said its loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence."Stolz said all indications were that the gunman acted alone, although authorities were investigating whether he had any connection to anti-abortion groups.Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy. The clinic was heavily fortified and Tiller often traveled with a bodyguard, but Stolz said there was no indication of security at the church Sunday.Anti-abortion groups denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest. The movement's leaders fear the killing could create a backlash just as they are scrutinizing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose views on abortion rights are not publicly known."We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."President Barack Obama said he was "shocked and outraged" by the murder. "However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence," he said.Tiller's attorney, Dan Monnat, said Tiller had recently asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. Stolz, however, said police knew of no threats connected to the shooting.Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition, but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.Nancy Keenan, president of abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement praising Tiller's commitment."Dr. Tiller's murder will send a chill down the spines of the brave and courageous providers and other professionals who are part of reproductive-health centers that serve women across this country. We want them to know that they have our support as they move forward in providing these essential services in the aftermath of the shocking news from Wichita," Keenan said.The last killing of an abortion doctor was in October 1998 when Dr. Barnett Slepian was fatally shot in his home in a suburb of Buffalo, N.Y. A militant abortion opponent was convicted of the murder.Tiller's clinic is fortified with bulletproof glass, and Tiller hired a private security team to protect the facility. Once outside the clinic, Tiller was routinely accompanied by a bodyguard.Watkins, who heard the gunman's shot at church, said Reformation Lutheran members had become accustomed to anti-abortion protests on Sunday mornings."Just like an everyday thing, you just looked over and see them and say, 'Yup they're back again,"' Watkins said. "We had no idea that someone would come into our church and do such a bad thing like that -- inside of a church."Tiller remained prominent in the news, in part because of an investigation begun by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, an abortion opponent.Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires. A jury in March acquitted Tiller of all 19 misdemeanor counts."I am stunned by this lawless and violent act, which must be condemned and should be met with the full force of law," Kline said in a statement Sunday. "We join in lifting prayer that God's grace and presence rest with Dr. Tiller's family and friends."Peter B. Brownlie, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri released a statement saying, "Dr. Tiller's murder is an enormous loss for our movement and for women and their families across America." He said the group would miss Dr. Tiller as a friend and colleague.Missourians United for Life called Tiller's slaying an inappropriate and deplorable response to the terrible injustice of abortion.About 10 anti-abortion protesters gathered across the street from a downtown Wichita vigil where supporters of George Tiller remembered the slain abortion provider.The protesters outside Sunday's vigil were from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, which also pickets military funerals. The protesters held signs emblazoned with such messages as "Abortion is bloody murder" and "Baby killer in hell."The protesters and about 20 Tiller supporters shouted at each other. A large number of police officers stood by to make sure the scene stayed under control.The vigil was attended by a couple of hundred people.

Copyright 2009 by KCTV5.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Ex-Wife Says Suspect Planned To Bomb Clinic In 1996

Ex-Wife Says Suspect Planned To Bomb Clinic In 1996

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- If the public wanted answers about the shocking slaying of a Kansas abortion doctor at his church on Sunday, they didn't get it from the Sedgwick County district attorney on Monday.In a late-morning news conference in Wichita, Nola Foulston told reporters that the case against the man who is suspected of shooting Dr. George Tiller on Sunday is still in the hands of the Wichita Police Department.Foulston said the case has not been presented to her office. Because of that, she declined to comment on any specific information about the case, which is drawing headlines around the world.The district attorney confirmed there is a suspect in custody but would not say whether the suspect was 51-year-old Scott Roeder.The focus of the story on Monday turned to Roeder, who was taken into custody on Sunday afternoon near Gardner, Kan. He was returned to Wichita and was being held without bail on one count of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault.The ex-wife of Scott Roeder said on Monday that he allegedly planned to blow up an abortion clinic in 1996 but police stopped him before he could carry out the plan.Lindsey Roeder said that in 1996 Scott Roeder was charged in Topeka with having bomb materials in his car and sentenced to 24 months probation. The sentence was later overturned because police illegally seized the evidence. But she said he later admitted a plan to destroy an abortion clinic to their son.Lindsey said she left Scott because his views on abortion were too radical for her taste, and while she never feared for her safety when they were married, she did question his mental state.He once chose to buy a gun instead of getting me my heart medication, Lindsey Roeder said.Lindsey Roeder says Scott went out with their 22-year-old son Friday night, which was strange since Scott Roeder regarded that night as his Sabbath. But she thinks it was a final goodbye.In hindsight, she wishes there was some way they could've stopped him.Flags outside of Tiller's clinic in Wichita were at half staff on Monday as mourners brought flowers to honor the doctor. The clinic is expected to be closed for at least one week.One of four doctors who performed abortions at Tiller's Wichita women's clinic said Monday that its operations will resume next week. Dr. LeRoy Carhart, of Bellevue, Neb., has been working at Tiller's clinic for 10 years. He said that five years ago, Tiller set up a rotation system with three other doctors so that the clinic could continue "whether he is there in person or in spirit."Tiller attorney Dan Monnat said it is too soon to know the long-term plans of the clinic. He noted that federal marshals are protecting the clinic.In Kansas City, there will be a candle-light vigil on Monday night at 8 at the J.C. Nichols Fountain on the Country Club Plaza.Also, a law enforcement official said investigators have searched two homes as part of the inquiry into Tiller's killing. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the investigation, said the homes are in Merriam, Kan., and the other is in Kansas City, Mo.Foulston said that charges will not be filed Monday, noting that the state had 48 hours to charge anyone who is in custody. She planned to take the full two days to decide. She said any charges would be filed in state court.A brother of the man suspected of fatally shooting abortion doctor George Tiller told a Kansas newspaper that the family never thought him capable of killing.Scott Roeder was in jail Monday while investigators sought to learn more about his background. He has not been charged in Tiller's slaying.His brother David Roeder said in a statement to The Topeka Capital-Journal that the family is "shocked, horrified and filled with sadness at the death of Dr. Tiller" and the possible involvement of Roeder.David Roeder said Scott is "kind and loving," but suffered from mental illness at various times in his life.David Roeder said, "None of us ever saw Scott as a person capable of or willing to take another person's life."

Previous Stories:

• June 1, 2009: Merriam Man Held In Connection With Tiller Shooting
• June 1, 2009: AG Orders Protection After Tiller Slaying

Copyright 2009 by KCTV5.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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.

Photo Gallery

Scott Roeder Yearbook Photos

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

Enlarge photos | View thumbnails

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.

JOURNAL ENTRY: It's the beginning of the end

June 1, 2009

Mark and I have spoken with both of our attorneys and they will be fielding any and all inquiries made to us. RELIEF!

Charges were made against him last night, one count of first degree murder, and two counts of aggravated assault. These were made by Kansas last night, with a preliminary hearing as a goal for today. It's going to get far more interesting though, when the FBI and Homeland Security get involved and put forth their charges. I don't see Scott seeing the free light of day for the rest of his life. Hopefully, we can all be put out of our misery and the death penalty in Kansas implemented.

I didn't sleep but an hour last night, just couldn't settle enough to stay down long. I am ready to meet this thing head on and get it fully behind us, though it looks as though that won't happen for at least a year.

The one wrong decision by the judge, has cost this family MUCH in the way of finances, well over $20,000, my health, Victoria and other miscarried babies due to stress, and just the torture of this mother's heart in thinking that this man could have been able to take her to Kansas at the swing of a pen by this judge.

It's the beginning of the end and I am more than thankful, yet realize that we still have a long row to hoe.

My Vulnerability by Susan Archer in June 2009

My Vulnerability
By Susan Wells-Benuska-Archer
June 2009

Copyright © 2009 - 2010 Mark and Susan Archer

Living in Illinois, I had been married for over 18 years to a wonderful man and had 5 beautiful children with him. However, on November 14th of 1999, he was killed in a tractor accident. It felt as though someone had ripped my heart out of its chest, thrown it to the ground, and began to stomp all over it. I was raw with pain and disoriented. In the days after losing Ron, a great sense of anxiousness consistently loomed over me, as though I were a field mouse in an open field, with hungry hawks that were ready to descend at any given moment.

Ron was a friend to everyone, who would give you the shirt off of his back, his skin, too, if he believed that another had need for it. He always believed the best in people, ALWAYS, much to my frustration at times. It took a lot for Ron to lose his consideration of another, always being the one to forgive and forget. There will never be another man like him. He was a great father and awesome husband, who is sorely missed to this day. Ron was THE love of my life, with whom I had full expectations of growing old with. My life, as well as the lives of our children, were forever changed by the completely unforeseen and tragic event in losing Ron.

In the months after losing Ron, my life was turned upside down, which was the catalyst for my vulnerability. In that time of great vulnerability, I wasn’t as clear headed as I needed to be, in order to be able to rightly discern those who wanted to enter my life. I made wrong choices, which have proven to be extremely costly, financially, emotionally and physically.

At the time of Ron’s death, we were Messianic Believers, those who believe in a Messiah, but more in the Judaic way. It was a season in my life, which taught me valuable insights into another from of organized religion. Those lessons have honed me in such as way as nothing else ever could.

I no longer recognize being a Messianic believer, which has brought about freedom into my life that would take pages and pages to share. I still believe in the Creator, but do not believe in organized religion of any kind.

Several months after Ron died, in the early Fall of 2000, some newly found local Messianic friends were traveling down to Missouri for the Feast of Tabernacles. Since I was not of their exact same mindset, with me preferring to be in a more charismatic circle, I traveled to Ottumwa, Iowa for the feast, joining a congregation that named themselves B‘Nai Avraham, where my family had celebrated the previous year‘s Feast of Tabernacles. It was at this time that Hector Castillo told me, “I’m going to my feast to get your husband”. I didn’t think he was serious. However, when he was in Missouri, he spoke of me to one of the attendees, Scott Roeder.


Feasting Wolves
By Scott Diffenderfer

The Fall Feasts are wonderful in many ways. There is the blessing that flows from willing hearts gathering in His Name. There is the fellowship and edifying that are always prevalent. Of course the traditions you are establishing for your family are priceless. I remember our first few "Feasts", they were held in our backyard with our growing family. Not exactly big productions but they were full of joy. That was the very humble beginning of our journey into the Feast of Tabernacles.

A few years ago we joined our friend Daniel Botkin at theSukkot celebration he was hosting... and it was good. Each year we havegrown, both physically and spiritually. Spiritually due to the fact that each year we seem to grow in our walk through increased revelation that is poured our during the Feast. Physically, we grow as our family grows and as others choose to join us during His appointed time. We have met many wonderful people and remained friends with several folks as a result of meeting them at the Feast. I believe the growth in numbers has been a direct result of the growth in remembrance by His people of who they are... Israel. It has been exciting to watch His people gather in increasing numbers. Now our "Tabernacles family" includes several families. We look forward to gathering with these folks each year. Yes indeed, it seems as though His sheep are gathering in increasing numbers every year. This is awesome! What a day in which we live. To actually witness the re-gathering of all of Israel is a blessing. To participate in this re-gathering is truly exciting. Sometimes in our excitement we do not take the time to look circumspectly and take inventory of the condition around us. One of the dangers in gathering a large number of sheep is that it attracts predators. Sheep by nature are fairly defenseless. Not fleet of foot, nor sharp of claw, the sheep are in need of external protection from the wolves. Without proper protection the wolves will devour the sheep. As the amount of gathering sheep increases, so does the number of predators.

But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying Y'shua who bought them... and (the false teachers) will receive the wages of unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They are spots and blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast with you, having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children (2 Peter 2: 1- 14).

What better time for the wolves to be out prowling than at a designated appointment with His sheep? They can actually plan their attack. Of course, most two legged wolves are clever enough to disguise their prowling. Smiling all the way, they can come across in a variety of methods. Typically they, like any good predator, move up on their prey stealthfully. They certainly do not want to startle the unsuspecting sheep. You probably have seen the techniques. There are two main methods of positioning for the attack. One method is to assume the demeanor of a sheep. Sweet, smiling, gentle, and unassuming are their characteristics. They seem to have a certain glow about them which tricks the sheep into believing they are filled with the fruit of the Spirit. Oh, there is a spirit there all right. Not the Holy Spirit. Little by little they lead the sheep away from the flock. Line upon line their doctrine is introduced, whittling away at the base of the sheep's belief system. Confused, and now shaken, the unsuspecting sheep falls prey to the wolf without a fight. Another, more brash method is to declare a few "truths". This declaration is bold and loud as the wolf proudly takes a stand for "righteousness".Actually it is foolishness not righteousness because there is no peace involved. You may have encountered this type of wolf. He seeks to gather several sheep to his fold realizing that the sheep can be a nice support structure. Words like pagan, uncompromising, truth, separated, and persecuted are very prevalent in his vocabulary. There is a certain zeal to his message but under the surface lies the same foundation. It is a foundation of pride, unfaithfulness, arrogance, self promotion, and demonic influence. These wolves are easier to spot but just as deadly as the previous type. Why bring this subject up? As we prepare to partake of His Feast again this year, it is imperative that we be aware of the present dangers. Because it is a matter of life and death. Just as pedophiles hang out at playgrounds so do wolves congregate at Feast gatherings. Smiling to the shepherd's face they are working their plan behind his back. Seeking to kill and destroy they tear at the very flesh of Y'shua. For they know that once they have shaken the foundation, it is not long before the foundation cracks. Shortly thereafter the faith in the Rock of Ages crumbles from beneath the feet of the Believer. Then there is a wide opening for all sorts of false teachings and distorted viewpoints. Soon the poor sheep is far from home and in great danger. You see, I have learned a few things in hosting a Feast of YHWH. One important lesson is that as "host", I am responsible. The Feasts are Holy convocations not something to be taken lightly. Stepping into the role of "host" for a Feast is indeed stepping onto holy ground. I did not truly understand this before. I only thought of the goodness of proclaiming His Truth and of the Kingdom work of re-gathering His sheep. Now I know better. Thankfully, YHWH has taught me a few lessons. We are all learning and growing in this faith. It is good to know that YHWH is not finished with any of us yet. 

So my friends as you prepare to celebrate His Feast this fall do so joyfully and carefully. There will be wolves in your midst or at least lurking on the edge - you can be assured of that. One thing about these Spiritual wolves - they cannot stand the Light. How to get rid of them is to teach the Word diligently. Instruct those around you in Spirit and Truth keeping your eyes upon our Messiah each moment. Through proper interpretation and application of Torah today we create an environment where the wolves cannot thrive. Just as Y'shua fought off the temptations of satan with the Living Word, you too will be victorious with His wonderful instruction. When you study Torah Y'shua is right there as you are truly studying Him. Y'shua is Torah. Y'shua is YHWH made flesh. He is the Aleph and the Tav. He is our defense! The wolves have no choice but to run off back to their dens of iniquity. There they will devour themselves through slander, gossip, back biting, and in fighting. We pray that no sheep are damaged along the way.

Celebrate indeed. Just be alert for when the Holy things of YHWH are restored satan is not pleased. Let us be good stewards of this restoration. Enjoy the Feast of Tabernacles for it is good! Spend time with your family and friends building relationships that will strengthen you. Come, let us go up to Zion... together!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


I had put my name on a Messianic message board, the same one to which Hector had placed his. This was our first point of contact. Hector was an elder for their congregation, whose family treated my family well. Within a week or so, Hector brought his wife and children, along with his brother and his wife and children, to my house for a day of fellowship on a Saturday Sabbath. They brought food and fun to our home and it was all warmly appreciated. Over the next several months, we all grew together, learned together, and simply enjoyed the company of each other.

Scott immediately penned me a letter and asked about my spiritual journey. I took this as a good sign, but it should have been seen as red flag number one. He was seemingly a warm and sincere man, which later proved to be his sheep‘s clothing that was used to pull the wool over the eyes of anyone who would give him an audience. Scott tried to teach me about how illegal taxation is in our country, which should have been the first and LAST red flag to pay heed to. He was very charismatic and could talk the fangs off of a viper. At one point, I told him that I just didn't see how the two of us could work out, so told him that I needed some space and time. You see, he was only willing to take jobs that would not take certain taxes out of his payment. This way of life for him would only offer him minimum wage employment, because any employer worth their salt, would have nothing to do with such schemes. Things then cooled down for several months between us, but he would still call and "touch base" with me once in a while. Again, he was VERY charismatic and wooing, and kept speaking about various parallels in our lives that were directed at me to convince me that he was the man for me. Oh, what I would give to go back and relive that time!

I will admit that I was vulnerable and gullible, because it had only been just under a year since my husband had died. I was of the mindset that ‘all things happen for good‘. I was also feeling as though I might never find anyone so ‘warm and sincere‘, as well as feeling flattered that this man was showing an interest in me. He also didn‘t seem to flinch in getting involved with a woman who had 5 children. Red flag number two? At that time their ages were 15, 14, 11, 9, and 1. My baby was only 3 months old when Ron died. What could have seemed more right? PLENTY! I should have realized that anything that seemed to good to be true, probably is. However, I was greatly desiring a man in my life, not only for me, but also for my maturing sons to have a male mentor in their lives. So, I obtained his e-mail address from the Castillos and wrote him back, sharing with him all about my spiritual journey and etc.

Scott and I corresponded several times per week and even spoke on the phone a time or two. Then, he wanted to meet my children and me, so we set up a neutral meeting place. At the time, I was driving from Tiskilwa, IL down to Ottumwa, IA for our spiritual gatherings. He said he would travel up from Kansas City, KS and meet all of us there. So, we then made plans to meet at B’Nai Avraham.

As I anxiously waited for Scott to arrive, the service had begun, and he was late. Red flag number three? This was not the best first time impression in my opinion! After walking into the service late, he sat a short distance away from where my children and me were sitting. My first impression of him wasn't exactly positive, yet it wasn't totally negative either. More or less it was neutral. I should have seen it as a sign, but I didn't.

After the service, which was wrought with anxiety on my part in meeting someone new, we finally met. Scott was very attentive and seemed to really want to know how I was doing. I allowed that sense of being cared about by someone, to take over the common sense part of my being. I didn’t know enough about him, and he wasn’t willing to disclose much at all about himself. Why didn’t I see this as another red flag. Number four?

In an effort to keep my wits about me, I had already set forth a list of criteria that any man with whom I might consider needed to pass.

1. We needed to have the same spiritual values.
Yes. Or, so I was led to believe.
2. He needed to make enough money to support the family.
No. He came up with many rationalizations as to this or that. All in all, it was a
big pile of BULLSHIT!!!! But, I was vulnerable and gullible and lowered my
standard.
3. There needed to be chemistry between us.
No, not exactly. What I did was reduce my expectations to fit the current
scenario. BAD, BAD, BAD!!!
4. He needed to be chaste and not given to running around since his divorce.
He said he had been chaste! Yet, within three days of us exchanging vows, he
confessed to three affairs that he had, though he never had “sex“. So, he didn‘t
see it as being important to divulge those indiscretions. GRR!!!

There were a couple of other items, but it has been so long that I don't remember them, though I do have our early correspondences to go by, if it ever became necessary. Basically, I told him that I didn't see how we could work out and that we should just maintain a friendship type of relationship. He insisted that I was making a mistake, several times, and continued to pursue me until I put my foot down and ignored him. This all took place from September until February.

For a few months I didn't hear from him and I got on with my life. Then, some crap took place with the group of people that I had been meeting with in Ottumwa, IA, which caused my family and me to leave that group. So, what did fool Sue do? I called him and told him about what had happened, being the wounded victim who needed consoling, wanting someone to talk with who knew the people with whom I was disgruntled with, as well as wanting someone who would be ‘warm and sincere‘. GRRRR!!!! I am not a weak person by any means, but by that point in time I had reached my breaking point of being kicked and wasn't holding strong. He immediately began to woo me and I once again began to rationalize everything, caving in to his enticing ways. I had contacted him at the end of April or the beginning of May, and he was trying to convince me that the Creator wouldn’t have brought two people together, unless He had a way for it to all work out. This was soon to be discovered by me, as being Scott’s mantra. We were making commitments to one another by July. I lost the tally count for red flags.

I say 'commitments', because he had me convinced that marriage is before God and not man. Scott convinced me that God had made marriage lawful, and that man did not need permission with a license by the state to get married. Remember before when I said that we didn't see spiritual matters exactly the same, well, this was one of those areas. Honestly, his position seemed to have some merit, but the system of legal marriage is set up because of jackasses that take advantage of women and children, such as this one. In the 3 months of time he was living with me in Illinois, we each conceded on our positions about what marriage entailed, setting up 3 different wedding dates, but he still had ulterior motives, which would be proven by his actions in canceling all 3 wedding dates. Oh, he prides himself as being his own best lawyer, too. (What is it with this type!?!?) In Scott’s conniving way, he tried to get me to move to Kansas, a common law state, whereupon everything would have become a joint ownership. Illinois did not recognize Common Law Marriage, thank heavens! It would be many months later before I was able to look back and realize how close I came to losing everything!

On July 12th, 2001, Scott came up to visit me in my home, and two days later had exchanged vows and consummated our relationship. The next morning, when perspectives usually change, I KNEW that I had made a mistake, but was still so saturated by religion overall, which was adamantly against divorce, even if the “marriage” was based solely upon consummation, that I was brainwashed easily into Scott’s form of religion. So, I forced myself to make the best of it.

After Scott’s confession of his indiscretions, I sought counsel by respected spiritual leaders of the Messianic religion. However, I was told that even though Scott had directly lied to me about his sexual encounters, he was sleeping with strange women who would walk into the 7-11 where he worked, that I had a responsibility before God to forgive him and make it work. So, I tried, at least for a while.

Once I had resigned myself to being Scott’s mate, I willingly partook of intimate relations with him. However, I made it perfectly clear that I did not want to get pregnant, and had purchased condoms and spermicide. I was still nursing my not quite 2 year old son, who I felt needed the extra time to offset the effects from losing his father, which meant that I did not want to have to wean him. When I would get pregnant, I would get VERY sore nipples and HAVE to wean by the 4th month of pregnancy. However, Scott did not believe in birth control!!! So, he refused to put on a condom or use the spermicide. OH, but he sure did believe in people control, which is what he was doing, sometimes subtlety, sometimes overtly, with me! I should have connected certain dots sooner, which would have helped me to realize that he was watching my monthly cycle and when I was fertile. Scott seemed to have some excuse for not wanting sexual relations outside of the times when I would become pregnant, which was when a woman has a heightened sense of desire. I do believe this was his plan all along, to get me pregnant and produce a child for him, to secure his position permanently in my life. I also believe that he saw my children as being good potentials for his army.

Things were extremely rocky from the start! Scott would not take a job that required him to pay social security and taxes. This was another one of those spiritual issues that we did not see eye-to-eye on. UGH!! Scott would only take part time work that paid cash, which was extremely difficult to find, and paid poorly. This led to MAJOR frustration on my part, because I was basically supporting him with guess what, what Ron and I had built together, as well as . . . SOCIAL SECURITY!!! How the hell does that make ANY sense!! It had even gotten to the point where I wrote three checks for him to change into Money Orders, so that he could pay child support to his ex-wife for his son from that relationship. I should have ran for the hills and realized that this was the biggest red flag of all, but I allowed Scott’s smooth talk to override what I knew was right, what I had been raised to believe by my dad.

In the early days and weeks of Scott’s and my relationship, the tension would build and we would argue, which would have him running back home to Kansas. It was as though there was an unseen umbilical cord attached to Scott from Kansas, with Kansas being his source of life as a placenta. He left and went back to Kansas at least 6 times in a 3 1/2 month period, from July 12th, when he first arrived, to October 22, when I gave him his walking papers. I had HAD enough!! My daddy raised me to be a better person than that, and it was a disgrace to my late husband that I used what he and I had built together, along with what Ron paid into social security, to be supporting a bum and a loser. Especially one who called me a hypocrite for having “one foot in the world and one in the kingdom!”, because I was receiving Social Security for myself and my children.

We tried to reconcile one more time in October, which is when I set up a whole new wedding date, with invitations and the whole nine yards, which he cast off, again, for the third time, and refused to marry me. The bad news was that I became pregnant in the second week of September. He knew it, but continued to be unwilling to be responsible and anchor down. So, he canceled the final date for the wedding. Like I said before, I think it was his plot to lead me along, until I succumbed to his manipulation of moving to Kansas, where I would be his lawful common law wife.

So, there I was, a widow of 2 years with 5 children and pregnant out of wedlock. I was the laughing stock of my community. This man was the cause of me losing the respect of everyone around me. My neighbors, who were willing to give me somewhat of a hand before, then shunned me. My friends who had been like family to me, shunned me as well. I was so angry with myself for the poor choices I had made and what had become of my life.

Now, let me introduce Mark, my current husband of almost 8 years, as of this writing.

Mark and I began communicating around the end of March 2001, upon being introduced by a mutual friend who had met Mark personally at a conference down in Florida. This friend had communicated with Mark many times and felt she knew him well enough, so encouraged the two of us to communicate via online group. This took place after I had told Scott that there was no way the two of us would ever work, before Scott had moved up to live with me in Illinois. Mark was very poetic and romantic, but I was skeptical, due to the aggressive way that Scott had pursued me prior. So, when I asked Ed Nydle, the "Rabbi" of B’Nai Avraham, the congregation in Ottumwa, Iowa, to contact Harry Dombek, the "Rabbi" of the congregation Mark attended, concerning the legitimacy of Mark, there was some conflict of information. Being that I had just shaken off one idiot, Scott, and because I didn't have the resources to verify or deny the allegations against Mark, I dumped him, and didn't communicate with Mark until November 14th of 2001, which later hit me square between the eyes that it was the date that my husband was killed. Not that I didn't realize that it was the date of my husband's death, but that I didn't realize that I had wrote Mark on that same date. STRANGE!

Anyway, I felt bad about how I had cut Mark short, not even allowing him an opportunity to speak for himself. So, after I had washed my hands of Scott, I wrote an apology to Mark for my abrupt action and shared with him what had been said. Even the woman who had introduced the two of us had said that there was no way that she could believe the allegations spoken against Mark were true, but that she understood my vulnerability about not wanting to take on more than I could handle. Mark immediately explained what had happened on his end, which coincided with the same type of garbage that had happened with me at B’nai Avraham and Ed Nydle. It seemed as though Mark and I were the ones on that week's hit list for those two congregations! Both Mark and I were ousted from our congregations within a couple of weeks of each other, but we didn't know this, because of the secrecy that was taking place in that organization. Who KNOWS what was going on and what they adopted for their reasoning! This is when Mark and I came out of organized religion.

Mark began his journey much sooner than I did, but our end goal was that we no longer believed in organized religion or even the Christian Messiah. It was as though a double barbed thorn was being extracted from our lives, due to the deep brainwashing that we had both endured in our circles of people.

Once Mark and I were TOTALLY eye to eye on spiritual matters (#1 prerequisite), we then worked through the list of criteria that I was now holding onto even more tightly, because even then, I sensed my very life, as well as the lives of my children, depended upon it.

#2. He was more than able to support himself and my family (had a well paying job at the same place of employment for almost 18 years, at that point in time).
#3. We had chemistry (ooh lala ).
#4. He got along very well with my children and they with him.
#5. He confessed readily to the women he had been involved with, so I was more assured that he was sincere and honest with me in everything else.

And, it really seemed to be a match made in heaven. He embraced me, my children, and the baby I was expecting. Mark was previously married for 12 years, but he and his ex-wife never conceived any children. The thought of marrying, legally, a woman with children, was appealing to Mark, though I doubt in his wildest dreams it was with a woman with as many children as I had.

On February 26, 2002, Mark and I were married in Princeton, Illinois. I immediately began working toward getting my house prepared for market, so that I could move to PA to be with my new husband. However, time drew on and on, so I did what I could do, then left my house in the hands of local keepers and began my journey in life with Mark. However, that wasn't without heartache, of which Scott was also involved.

Karleen Clausen, another wolf in sheep's clothing, offered to take care of my house and pack up my belongings, so that I could go and be with Mark in PA. However, this friend decided to help herself to almost $15,000 worth of my household goods and tools from the barn, electrician's and mechanic's tools that had been handed down from my father, to Ron, then to my sons. Scott was there with Karleen, helping her to load my things onto my trailer, to be stolen. Where was Scott's Christian honor there?

Seven weeks and two days after leaving Illinois and moving to Pennsylvania, my daughter was born unassisted in water, with Mark being the first one to touch her and hold her. Mark has supported her, loved her, and sacrificed for her from the very beginning, even knowing that she was not his own blood. He is her “Papa“. She is his “Sunshine”. They have been inseparable!

However, the asshole who was her sperm donor, he doesn't even deserve the honor of that title, began custody proceedings and has been fighting us in court ever since. This has been very costly to us, to the current tune of close to $25,000. All the while he has been using his mother’s money to cover his travel expenses. However, it has been worth it to keep Scott from influencing my daughter. Scott has never gotten serious and grown up, so as to become responsible in providing financial support for my daughter. However, there was money enough to give to Operation Rescue, as stated by his own mouth in a newspaper article. What a hypocrite! He would also buy red roses to place on the ground at Tiller’s clinic, as well as spend money for gasoline to travel and stalk George Tiller at his clinic and church, but never gave one dime for my daughter. It is now also revealed that he bought a gun for over $200.

Scott’s and Judge Vanston’s actions took away my daughter's legitimacy by bastardizing her, in not upholding precedent case law protecting the legitimacy of marriage and family. My daughter, being a very shy child, would SCREAM when going to the court ordered visitations. Her potty training would revert after each court ordered visitation. How was this “in her best interest”?

I wish I were more competent in doing web searches for legal matters, because it would be a lot easier! The nutshell version of it is:

A child born into an intact family, has the right to be protected by the State of PA from 3rd party intruders. There have been a couple of cases that set precedence for this matter. In one case, a woman had an affair with a man and became pregnant by that man. She chose to go back to her husband, but didn't divulge to her husband that the baby she was carrying was the other man's. The other man kept pressing her to leave her husband and she kept putting this man off. After a while, the man went to court to petition for his rights as the child's father. The man was denied, on the grounds that the child was born inside of an intact marriage. This case was even more extreme than our case, yet, the judge dismissed it as relevant.

I think it sucks that women are able to abuse the courts and turn the screws on their exes, it really messes things up for honest women who are telling the truth about their situation. I told the court time and time again, that Scott was bad news and should have no contact with my daughter whatsoever. The hell that little girl went through in the visitations, would be enough for almost anyone to pull a trigger on him. I am not exaggerating! She would SCREAM and refuse to get out of the car to go into the building for the visitations. Thankfully, there were only 7, maybe 8, in the past 7 years, or the trauma would have been worse. On the third visitation, Mark AND my son, had to literally peel her from my body, because she didn't want to go to "that building with that man", then SCREAMED the whole time traveling in the car for the 15 minutes it took to get to the building, and kept crying even after arriving. {:*-( Only when she finally realized that it was time to go home, would she stop crying and begin to calm down.

On the 4th visitation, she had built up a wall of indifference to the situation and went to the parking lot of the building where the visitations were taking place at Children & Youth. She wouldn't get out of the car though.

The 5th visitation, Mark was on crutches from being hit by a truck while riding his motorcycle, and Scott and C&Y coaxed my daughter out of the car without Mark, by showing her a pink bear and telling her that there were more toys inside to play with. She relented and they whisked her away, leaving Mark to struggle with locking the car, then kept him from entering the locked room where Scott, Olivia and one of the social workers had the visitation. I was PISSED!!! My red came out that day and I hope it never comes out like that again. I swear I was on the verge of a stroke.

Anyway, all along she has stated that she did not want to be a part of the visitations, but it didn't matter to Scott. It also didn't matter to Scott that maybe it might have been more important to her in the long run, if he were to set up an education fund for her and not blow his mother's money on air fares, rental cars, etc.

This whole past 9 or so years has aged me like nobody's business. At one point, not long after losing Victoria, mine and Mark's 19 week gestation daughter. I literally was knocking on death's door, because I had lost hope in being able to protect my daughter from a madman, and the court was enabling Scott to do exactly what he wanted to do. I still don't understand where the judge was coming from in his decisions. We've even petitioned the PA Supreme Court in getting this resolved, but they refused to hear the case, because of a misstep in the early days of Scott being granted Standing.

I swear, if that SOB gets out, and nobody else shoots him, he had better NEVER set foot near this house!

Copyright © 2009

Thankfully, this chapter of my life is now coming to a close. Scott sealed his fate, not only for himself, but, for our family as well, when he shot and killed Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, KS, on May 31^st, 2009.

The reports and articles that have painted the picture of who Scott Roeder really was, have been more than a little unnerving to me. It haunted me for a long time to know that Scott was living with my family with those thoughts in his head. I also was haunted in realizing that I was the medium through which my friends were introduced to Scott, thus, putting them in harms way by knowing Scott.

Thankfully, this is all behind us, all of us. Judge Wilbert sentenced Scott to 50 years in prison for 1^st degree murder, and 2 more years, to run consecutively, for 2 charges for assault with a deadly weapon. There is no option for parole to be considered before the first 50 years have been served, which means that Scott will be over 100 years old before even the remotest possibly comes to pass for him to be paroled.

The Creator in His great mercy, has granted to me the deliverance I have prayed for, for the past 10 years.

Susan Wells-Benuska-Archer ©

Suspect in George Tiller shooting is linked to anti-government group

Wednesday, Sep. 23, 2009

Posted on Mon, Jun. 01, 2009

BY JUDY L. THOMAS
Kansas City Star

The suspect in custody in connection with the slaying of abortion doctor George Tiller was a member of an anti-government group in the 1990s and a staunch opponent of abortion.

Johnson County sheriff's officials said Scott P. Roeder, 51, of Merriam, was arrested on I-35 near Gardner about three hours after the shooting.

In the rear window of the 1993 blue Ford Taurus that he was driving was a red rose, a symbol often used by abortion opponents.

Those who know Roeder said he believed that killing abortion doctors was an act of justifiable homicide.

"I know that he believed in justifiable homicide," said Regina Dinwiddie, a Kansas City abortion opponent who made headlines in 1995 when she was ordered by a federal judge to stop using a bullhorn within 500 feet of any abortion clinic. "I know he very strongly believed that abortion was murder and that you ought to defend the little ones, both born and unborn."

Dinwiddie said she met Roeder while picketing outside the Kansas City Planned Parenthood clinic in 1996. Roeder walked into the clinic and asked to see the doctor, Robert Crist, she said.

"Robert Crist came out and he stared at him for approximately 45 seconds," she said. "Then he (Roeder) said, 'I've seen you now.' Then he turned his back and walked away, and they were scared to death. On the way out, he gave me a great big hug and he said, 'I've seen you in the newspaper. I just love what you're doing.' "

Roeder also was a subscriber to Prayer and Action News, a magazine that advocated the justifiable homicide position, said publisher Dave Leach, an anti-abortion activist from Des Moines.

"I met him once, and he wrote to me a few times," Leach said. "I remember that he was sympathetic to our cause, but I don't remember any details."

Leach said he met Roeder in Topeka when he went there to visit Shelley Shannon, who was in prison for the 1993 shooting of Tiller.

Active in 'Freemen'

Roeder, who in the 1990s was a manufacturing assemblyman, also was involved in the "Freemen" movement.

"Freemen" was a term adopted by those who claimed sovereignty from government jurisdiction and operated under their own legal system, which they called common-law courts. Adherents declared themselves exempt from laws, regulations and taxes and often filed liens against judges, prosecutors and others, claiming that money was owed to them as compensation.

In April 1996, Roeder was arrested in Topeka after Shawnee County sheriff's deputies stopped him for not having a proper license plate. In his car, officers said they found ammunition, a blasting cap, a fuse cord, a one-pound can of gunpowder and two 9-volt batteries, with one connected to a switch that could have been used to trigger a bomb.

Jim Jimerson, supervisor of the Kansas City ATF's bomb and arson unit, worked on the case.

"There wasn't enough there to blow up a building," Jimerson said at the time, but he said it could make several powerful pipe bombs.

Roeder, who then lived in Silver Lake, was stopped because he had an improper license plate that read "Sovereign private property. Immunity declared by law. Non-commercial American." Authorities said the plate was typical of those used by Freemen.

Roeder was arraigned on one count of criminal use of explosives and misdemeanor charges of driving on a suspended license, failure to carry a Kansas registration and failure to carry liability insurance.

He was found guilty and sentenced in June 1996 to 24 months of probation with intensive supervision and ordered to dissociate himself from anti-government groups that advocated violence.

But in December 1997, his probation ended six months early when the Kansas Court of Appeals overturned his conviction. The court held that evidence against Roeder was seized by authorities during an illegal search of his car.

'This guy is dangerous'

Morris Wilson, commander of the Kansas Unorganized Citizens Militia in the mid-1990s, said he knew Roeder fairly well.

"I'd say he's a good ol' boy except he was just so fanatic about abortion," said Wilson, who now lives in western Nebraska. "He was always talking about how awful abortion was. But there's a lot of people who think abortion is awful."

Suzanne James, former director of victim's services for Shawnee County, said she remembered Roeder.

"He was part of the One Supreme Court, a Freemen group based out of Shawnee County," James said. "He was fanatic about a lot of things. I went to one of his court appearances and thought, 'This guy is dangerous.' There were a lot of red flags that came up about him."

In recent years, someone using the name Scott Roeder has posted anti-Tiller comments on various Internet sites. One post, dated Sept. 3, 2007, and placed on a site called chargetiller.com, said that Tiller needed to be "stopped."

"It seems as though what is happening in Kansas could be compared to the 'lawlessness' which is spoken of in the Bible," it said. "Tiller is the concentration camp 'Mengele' of our day and needs to be stopped before he and those who protect him bring judgment upon our nation."

On May 19, 2007, a Scott Roeder commented on an invitation by Operation Rescue to join an event being held May 17-20 in Wichita, "the 'Nation's Abortion Capital,' to pray for an end to George R. Tiller's late-term abortion business and for all pre-born babies everywhere to once again come under the protection of law."

The post said: "Bleass everyone for attending and praying in May to bring justice to Tiller and the closing of his death camp. Sometime soon, would it be feasible to organize as many people as possible to attend Tillers church (inside, not just outside) to have much more of a presence and possibly ask questions of the Pastor, Deacons, Elders and members while there? Doesn't seem like it would hurt anything but bring more attention to Tiller."

Reach Judy L. Thomas at 816-234-4334.

© 2009 Wichita Eagle and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.kansas.com

Dr. Tiller Killed - Monday Morning Update

Abortion provider Dr. George Tiller shot and killed - KSN TV

Abortion provider Dr. George Tiller shot and killed - KSN TV

WICHITA, Kansas -- Wichita abortion provider Dr. George Tiller was shot and killed just before 10:00 Sunday morning during church services at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita.

Dr. Tiller, 67, was in the foyer of the church serving as an usher when a gunman came in and fired one shot at Dr. Tiller, killing him.

The suspect got away, initiating a search for the light blue Ford Taurus registered to a home in Merriam, Kansas. A 51-year-old man was later arrested on a highway just outside of Kansas City.

Right now, police believe the suspect acted alone but note that it is very early in their investigation. They will not release his name until he is formally charged Monday. He is expected to be charged with one count of murder and two counts of assault for threatening two bystanders who tried to intervene.

Dr. Tiller has been the focus of controversial and sometimes violent protests. He is one of the few doctors in the country that performs late-term abortions. His clinic, Women’s Health Care Services, has been the scene of many protests over the years and was bombed in 1986.

Organizations on both sides of the abortion issue have issued statements condemning the shooting.

Slideshow

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JOURNAL ENTRY: IT'S HIM! OMG!! IT WAS HIM!!!!!!!!!!

5-31-09 - http://www.kansas.com/topstories/story/833730.html

The age is right, the place of the vehicle registration is right, and I have documentation that Numb Nuts was wanting to antagonize Tiller during his worship service. If this proves to be Numb Nuts, my daughter and I would be free, after 7 years of hell from this man.
~~~~~~~~~~

IT'S HIM! OMG!! IT WAS HIM!!!!!!!!!!

George Tiller killed in church, Scott Roeder the suspect held

VIDEO: Man Arrested in Connection With Tiller Slaying

http://www.kmbc.com/video/19617185/

VIDEO: Man Arrested in Connection With Tiller Slaying

Late-term abortion doctor shot dead inside US church

A doctor who was one of the few in the US to continue carrying out late-term abortions was shot dead in a church today.

George Tiller, 67, who had been picketed, bombed and shot in the arms in previous incidents, was killed at his church in Kansas, according to police sources.

Tiller was a controversial man, whose clinic has been the site of protests for two decades. He was shot and wounded by a protester in 1993 and someone placed a bomb on the roof of the clinic in 1986, seriously damaging the building.

Police spokesman Gordon Bassham would not confirm the victim's identity but said a 67-year-old "high-profile individual in the community" was shot and killed. He was shot at 10am in the lobby of Reformation Lutheran church in Wichita, police and city officials said.

According to the reports a white man carrying a handgun shot the doctor and then fled in a blue Ford Taurus.

"It's an unfortunate incident to happen on a Sunday morning," Wichita police ­captain Brent Allred told reporters. "These things should not occur at any time."

The FBI and state police were called in to help search for the gunman, whose licence plate was registered to a home in a suburb of Kansas City, 200 miles away.

The shooting came just two weeks after Barack Obama sought "common ground" over the divisive abortion debate in a ­controversial speech at one of America's leading Catholic universities.

The president has attempted to defuse one of the most emotive issues in US public life by arguing that while abortion should remain legal, the government should do all it can to limit unwanted pregnancies.

Tiller had been regularly targeted by abortion opponents who protested outside his clinic. Some 2,000 protesters were also arrested outside the clinic during summer-long demonstrations in 1991.

He was acquitted in March on charges that he performed 19 illegal abortions in 2003. His lawyer described the prosecution as a witch-hunt. Tiller testified during the trial that he spent years under police protection after the FBI discovered an anti-abortion hit list in 1994 that named Tiller as the top target.

The doctor also testified that he owns one of only three clinics in the US that perform late-term abortions, which are performed on foetuses that could survive outside the mother's womb.

Late-term abortions are legal in Kansas if two independent doctors agree that the mother could suffer irreparable harm by giving birth.

About this article

This article was first published on guardian.co.uk at 20.26 BST on Sunday 31 May 2009. It appeared in the Guardian on Monday 1 June 2009 on p1 of the International section. It was last updated at 20.27 BST on Sunday 31 May 2009.

Abortion doctor shot dead in US

1 Jun 2009:

Reaction to the killing of George Tiller, one of the few US doctors to perform so-called late-term abortions, at his Kansas church

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Abortion Doctor Gunned Down at Kansas Church, Suspect in Custody

Fox News: Abortion Doctor Gunned Down at Kansas Church, Suspect in Custody

Sunday , May 31, 2009

WICHITA, Kan. —

Dr. George Tiller, who remained one of the nation's few providers of late-term abortions despite decades of protests and attacks, was shot and killed Sunday in a church where he was serving as an usher.

The gunman fled, but a 51-year-old suspect was arrested some 170 miles away in suburban Kansas City three hours after the shooting, Wichita Deputy Police Chief Tom Stolz said.

Long a focus of national anti-abortion groups, including a summer-long protest in 1991, Tiller was shot in the foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church, Stolz said. Tiller's attorney, Dan Monnat, said Tiller's wife, Jeanne, was in the choir at the time.

Johnson County sheriff's spokesman Tom Erickson said Scott Roeder was the man whose car was stopped on Interstate 35 on Sunday, about three hours after the shooting of George Tiller.

Earlier in the day, Wichita police said the suspect was a 51-year-old man from Merriam, Kan., but they refused to identify him by name.

Roeder has not been charged in the slaying, but he was expected to be taken to Wichita for questioning.

Click here for photos.

The slaying of the 67-year-old doctor is "an unspeakable tragedy," his widow, four children and 10 grandchildren said in statement. "This is particularly heart-wrenching because George was shot down in his house of worship, a place of peace."

The family said its loss "is also a loss for the city of Wichita and women across America. George dedicated his life to providing women with high-quality health care despite frequent threats and violence."

Tiller's Women's Health Care Services clinic is one of just three in the nation where abortions are performed after the 21st week of pregnancy. The clinic was heavily fortified and Tiller often traveled with a bodyguard, but Stolz said there was no indication of security at the church Sunday.

Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri said it was working with law enforcement to secure its facilities Sunday even after the suspect was in custody.

A protester shot Tiller in both arms in 1993, and his clinic was bombed in 1985. More recently, Monnat said Tiller had asked federal prosecutors to step up investigations of vandalism and other threats against the clinic out of fear that the incidents were increasing and that Tiller's safety was in jeopardy. Stolz, however, said police knew of no threats connected to the shooting.

In early May, Tiller had asked the FBI to investigate vandalism at his clinic, including cut wires to surveillance cameras and damage to the roof that sent rainwater pouring into the building.

Anti-abortion groups denounced the shooting and stressed that they support only nonviolent protest. The movement's leaders fear the killing could create a backlash just as they are scrutinizing U.S. Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor, whose views on abortion rights are not publicly known.

"We are shocked at this morning's disturbing news that Mr. Tiller was gunned down," Troy Newman, Operation Rescue's president, said in a statement. "Operation Rescue has worked for years through peaceful, legal means, and through the proper channels to see him brought to justice. We denounce vigilantism and the cowardly act that took place this morning."

In 1991, the Summer of Mercy protests organized by Operation Rescue drew thousands of anti-abortion activists to this city for demonstrations marked by civil disobedience and mass arrests.

Tiller began providing abortion services in 1973. He acknowledged abortion was as socially divisive as slavery or prohibition but said the issue was about giving women a choice when dealing with technology that can diagnose severe fetal abnormalities before a baby is born.

Nancy Keenan, president of abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement praising Tiller's commitment.

"Dr. Tiller's murder will send a chill down the spines of the brave and courageous providers and other professionals who are part of reproductive-health centers that serve women across this country. We want them to know that they have our support as they move forward in providing these essential services in the aftermath of the shocking news from Wichita," Keenan said.

After the 1991 protests, Tiller kept mostly to his heavily guarded clinic, although in 1997 he opened it to three tours by state lawmakers and the media.

The clinic is fortified with bulletproof glass, and Tiller hired a private security team to protect the facility. Once outside the clinic, Tiller was routinely accompanied by a bodyguard.

At a recent trial, he told jurors that he and his family have suffered years of harassment and threats and that he knew he was a target of anti-abortion protesters.

Federal marshals protected Tiller during the 1991 Summer of Mercy protests, and he was protected again between 1994 and 1998 after another abortion provider was assassinated and federal authorities reported finding Tiller's name on an assassination list.

Tiller remained prominent in the news, in part because of an investigation begun by former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline, an abortion opponent.

Prosecutors had alleged that Tiller had gotten second opinions from a doctor who was essentially an employee of his, not independent as state law requires. A jury in March acquitted Tiller of all 19 misdemeanor counts.

"I am stunned by this lawless and violent act, which must be condemned and should be met with the full force of law," Kline said in a written statement. "We join in lifting prayer that God's grace and presence rest with Dr. Tiller's family and friends."

Abortion opponents also questioned then-Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' ties to Tiller before the Senate confirmed her this year as U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary. Tiller donated thousands of dollars to Sebelius over the years.

Click here for more on this story from MyFOXKC.com.

Dr. Tiller Killed: Eyewitness News Special Report - part 1

Dr. Tiller Killed: Eyewitness News Special Report - part 2

Minister Arrested For Reading Verse At Abortionist’s Church

Minister Arrested For Reading Verse At Abortionist’s Church

* Written by Operation Rescue
* Posted July 16, 2007 at 1:57 pm

Reformation Lutheran Church pastor sends fellow minister to jail

Wichita, KS — Ordained minister Henry “Bud” Shaver was arrested with another man after reading from Isaiah 1 during a church service at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, where late-term abortionist George R. Tiller is a member.

During the communion service Rev. Shaver stood at a microphone and read a portion of Isaiah’s warning to believers from a scrap of paper. Members of the church tried unsuccessfully to shut off the microphone and grab the Scripture from his hand. Men then forcibly carried Rev. Shaver from the church.

Pastor Thomas Halstrom gave Rev. Shaver’s associate, Joey Cox the communion bread saying, “Receive the body of Christ.” Cox gave the bread back to Halstrom saying that this was not the body of Christ but it represented the bodies of babies killed by abortionist George Tiller.

Cox was removed from the church by four men who repeatedly tried to cover his mouth with their hands even though Cox was not resisting and was trying to voluntarily leave the building.

Rev. Shaver and Cox left the church area and were later stopped at a gas station where they were surrounded by police and arrested at the personal request of Halstrom, whose church is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Churches In America (ELCA) synod.

The two Christians spent seven hours in jail (See Ticket) on the charge of “rude and indecent behavior in a place of worship.”

“It’s a sad thing when a church considers the reading of God’s Word ‘rude and indecent behavior,’ while embracing abortionist George Tiller, someone who violates that word every day by shedding the innocent blood of babies created in the image of the God they profess to serve. By doing so, they dishonor the name of Christ,” said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. “Rev. Shaver’s bold proclamation is to be applauded.”

Rev. Shaver is available for interviews at 928-600-9017. (corrected number)

Anonymous letter Operation Rescue post

Militia Watchdog

Militia Watchdog Graphic

Last updated December 12, 1997
Calendar of Conspiracy, Volume 1, Number 3: A Chronology of Anti-Government Extremist Criminal Activity, July to September 1997

A Militia Watchdog Special Report



INTRODUCTION

The following is a chronology of some of the events surrounding anti-government criminal activity in the United States during the third quarter of the year 1997. It illustrates both the scope of such activity—from large-scale acts of terrorism to local acts of harassment and intimidation—and its geographic extent—from major cities like Los Angeles to remote rural areas in Texas and Colorado. The chronology is not comprehensive. Although all major events are included, no systemized reporting system exists for smaller scale events. As a result, arrests or convictions for charges such as placing bogus liens, impersonating public officials or committing similar offenses are considerably underrepresented in this report. Such activities occur with a very high level of frequency across the nation. This report includes events from twenty-five states, but activity occurs in every state in the country.

rule

JULY

July 1, Wisconsin: Anti-abortion activist Dale Pultz goes on trial in Dane County for filing a $700,000 bogus lien against a Milwaukee judge who ruled him in contempt of court. He also filed a "Common Law Arrest Warrant" against the judge. He is charged with slander of title and forgery. Pultz was a member of the group Missionaries to the Preborn, which has advocated forming anti-abortion militias. He will be convicted the next day.

July 3, West Virginia: Jack Phillips, of the West Virginia Mountaineer Militia, pleads guilty to conspiring to manufacture explosives, as part of an alleged plot to destroy the FBI fingerprinting facility in Clarksburg, West Virginia. He is the second member of the group to plead guilty.

July 3, Montana: Lavon Hanson, associated with the Montana Freemen, pleads guilty in a plea bargain to one count of bank fraud relating to his attempt to pass a bogus money order for $428,000 to a bank in Spokane, Washington. Hanson was one of the first Freemen to be arrested, triggering the lengthy standoff at Jordan, Montana. As part of his plea bargain, Hanson agrees to discuss the Freemen’s activities with the FBI.

July 3, California: Isabel Oxx, of Westlake, California, is convicted of jury tampering in connection with the fraud trial of Elizabeth Broderick, convicted for distributing bogus money orders. Oxx herself had previously tried to use such checks to pay off loans and make large purchases.

July 4, Texas: FBI agents arrest two men, Brad Glover of Towanda, Kansas, and Michael Dorsett of Texas, on weapons charges. The two were allegedly on their way to Fort Hood, Texas, where they planned to launch some sort of an attack on the base as the first of a series of planned attacks on military installations they believed to harbor UN troops.

July 7, Kansas: Scott Roeder is sentenced to sixteen months in state prison for parole violations following a 1996 conviction for having bomb components in his car trunk. Roeder, a sovereign citizen and tax protester, violated his parole by not filing tax returns or providing his social security number to his employer.

July 9, Washington: James Bell of Vancouver, Washington, is charged with using false Social Security numbers and with attempting to impede or obstruct agents from the IRS. The latter charge includes having stink-bombed the Vancouver IRS office. Bell, a member of the Multnomah County Common Law Court, is more well known for having written an Internet essay on "Assassination Politics" which advocates the murder of federal officials.

July 10, Wisconsin: Merlon Lingenfelter, Jr., is arrested on weapons charges in connection with the activities of Bradley Glover et al, above.

July 10, Colorado: Terry and Kevin Hobeck are arrested on weapons charges in Creede, Colorado, in connection with the activities of Bradley Glover et al, above.

July 10, Texas: Richard McLaren and three other members of the Republic of Texas who were involved in a week-long standoff with Texas authorities the previous May are arraigned in state district court on charges of organized criminal activity and, for McLaren, burglary. Two others also face kidnapping charges.

July 11, Kansas: Thomas and Kimberly Newman are arrested in Kansas on weapons charges in connection with the activities of Bradley Glover et al, above.

July 17, Washington: James Bell (see above) pleads guilty to obstructing the IRS and using false Social Security numbers.

July 17, Ohio: A $20 million bond is set by an Ohio judge for Chevie Kehoe, one of two Washington brothers involved in a shootout with Ohio police officers in February.

Anonymous FBI Letter

FBI 3 April 2009
1300 Summit
Kansas City, Missouri 64105


Dear FBI,


As a concerned citizen, in these trying times, I am concerned about the safety of my fellow citizens, even those in other states and communities. There is an individual who lives in Kansas City , who was arrested for having bomb making material in his car. He was once an associate of my wife and she had intimate knowledge of what he wanted to do with those bomb making material. He wanted to blow up an abortion clinic.



I am sending you an article of his arrest. I am also sending a statement he recently posted to a blog concerning an abortion doctor’s church and I am sending another article, that details the arrest of somebody protesting that church following the post of that suggestion.



I am suggesting that Scott Philip Roeder be put on the no fly list for terrorists, because he has ideas of terrorizing abortionist. He still has the potential to be a domestic terrorist. You can tell from what he wrote in that blog, that he fits the profile of a sociopath. You can refer back to his file on when he was jailed and tie this most recent transmission to that.



I am doing this anonymously to protect my wife from any repercussions from this man. I feel given the right opportunity he would do physical harm to Dr. Tiller and any other abortionist he would come across.



Sincerely

Anonymous concerned citizen.



P.S. Here are the respective url’s for the addition enclosed pages.

Militia Watchdog - www.adl.org/mwd/cocv1n3.asp
Operation Rescue - www.operationrescue.org/pray-in-may-to-end-aboriton-wichita-ks-may-17-20-2007/
Two Arrested at Tiller’s Wichita Church - cjonline.com/stories/071707/bre_tiller.shtml