The man who shot up a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic last year was found mentally incompetent to stand trial Wednesday and ordered to a mental hospital.
Judge Gilbert Martinez accepted the finding of two doctors that the man is under the delusion the federal government has been persecuting him for decades because of his anti-government and anti-abortion beliefs, reports USA Today. Martinez ruled him mentally incompetent and ordered him to undergo “restoration treatment” at a state mental hospital.
Robert Lewis Dear Jr. was charged with 179 counts, including first-degree murder, after he allegedly shot three people to death and wounded nine others at the Colorado Springs clinic. If convicted, he would have faced life in prison or the death sentence, but after Wednesday’s finding the charges will remain pending.
In his first public court appearance, Dear confessed to the shooting and yelled: “I am guilty. There is no trial. I am a warrior for the babies.”
The shooting followed the release of a series of undercover videos exposing Planned Parenthood’s dealings in the parts of aborted fetuses. Hours after the shooting, Planned Parenthood and its allies blamed the shocking footage for pushing Dear to carry out the shooting. (RELATED: Media Rushes To Blame Christians, Republicans, For Planned Parenthood Shooting)
Dear referred to the judge as a “filthy animal” in the hearing Wednesday and interrupted the judge to exclaim: “Justice delayed is justice denied.” Martinez’s decision will stand until Dear is found competent to stand trial, at which point he could still be convicted of the charges.
His mental health status will be reviewed every three months.
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
