Scott Roeder Verdict: Scott Roeder Guilty of First-Degree Murder

by Scott Wu | January 29, 2010 at 09:22 am

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Scott Roeder's verdict is out today. Scott Roeder is guilty of first degree murder and both counts of aggravated assault.

Scott Roeder testified on Thursday. A jury reached the verdict after 37 minutes of deliberation on Friday.

Scott Roeder faces a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment with no possibility of parole for 25 years. Prosecutors could ask the judge to require him to serve at least 50 years before he's able to be considered for parole. At age 51, Scott Roeder will most likely die in prison if the "Hard 50" sentence is imposed.

Scott Roeder, 51, was charged with the murder of Dr. George Tiller, a doctor who performed late-term abortions. Roeder testified that he shot Dr. Tiller in the head on May 31 in the foyer of a church in Wichita Kansas. Scott Roeder believed that Tiller posed an "immediate danger" to unborn children.

Roeder's attorneys sought for voluntary manslaughter, but was rejected by the judge.

[Scott Roeder's] attorneys were hoping to get a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter for Roeder, but the judge ruled that the jury could not consider such a verdict.

In November, Roeder confessed over a phone interview. He said he has no regret, "because of the fact pre-born children's lives were in imminent danger, this was the action I chose."