Scott Roeder

Update: Scott Roeder's trial moves up a few days.  It's now scheduled to begin on January 11, 2010.  Jury selection will begin that day, the trial will begin once the jury's picked. Roeder's charged with shooting and killing abortion provider Dr. George Tiller while in church earlier this summer. By Eyewitness News (WICHITA, Kan.) The trial of the man accused of killing abortion provider Dr. George Tiller will stand trial in January. Fifty-one-year-old Scott Roeder faces charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the May 31 shooting at Tiller's church.

A law enforcement official says a federal grand jury is investigating whether last year's murder of a Kansas abortion doctor was connected to a broader case involving radical anti-abortion activists. The official is familiar with the case and spoke Friday to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation. Dr. George Tiller was among the few late-term abortion providers in the U.S. before he was fatally shot in his Wichita church in May 2009 by anti-abortion activist Scott Roeder.

Latest Update WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Prospective jurors in the murder trial of the man charged with killing a Wichita abortion doctor were being questioned in open court Thursday for the first time. The initial phase of jury selection for the trial of Scott Roeder had taken place behind closed doors for nearly six days in Sedgwick County District Court. Roeder is accused of fatally shooting Dr. George Tiller last May 31 at a Wichita church. Reporters were allowed into the courtroom Thursday afternoon for the first time as questioning of the 48 remaining panel members continued.

Update: Follow @12Judy for in-court updates. by Cliff Judy (WICHITA, Kan.) The judge overseeing Scott Roeder's murder case has set a 10:00 a.m. hearing Wednesday for attorneys to argue whether jury selection will be open to reporters. Judge Warren Wilbert agreed to requests from prosecutors and Roeder's defense attorney last week and decided to close jury selection to the public.  Judge Wilbert ruled giving media access to jury selection would have a "chilling effect" on juror candor.

Planned Parenthood Statement Planned Parenthood of Kansas & Mid-Missouri is grateful for the decision in Sedgwick County to sentence Scott Roeder to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 50 years served after being convicted of first-degree murder in the assassination of Dr. George Tiller.  We are satisfied the criminal justice system in Kansas has worked.  Mr. Roeder's conviction and sentencing represents a victory for the rule of law and a clear message that domestic terrorists will be held accountable in Kansas as elsewhere in America.

By Cliff Judy (WICHITA, Kan.) The U.S. Department of Justice confirms the death penalty is still a possibility in relation to the murder of Dr. George Tiller. On Friday afternoon, a DOJ press release announced a federal investigation into the Wichita abortion provider's death.  The release stated investigators will look into possible violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act or FACE Act.  The FACE Act was passed in 1994 amid rising violence at reproductive health clinics and is designed to protect abortion providers and patients.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The director of the Christian Defense Coalition doubts the claim made today by the man charged with killing a Kansas abortion provider that more such violence is planned. When asked about Scott Roeder's claim, the Reverend Patrick Mahoney dismissed him as a loner with a history of mental illness. Mahoney says he hopes anyone plotting anti-abortion violence gets caught first. Roeder phoned The Associated Press from the Sedgwick County Jail where he's being held on charges of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the death of Dr. George Tiller.

By Jim Grawe (WICHITA, Kan.) "It was chaos--just mass chaos. " Those are the words from a man who was there when Dr. George Tiller was murdered in the lobby of Wichita's Reformation Lutheran Chruch. "It caught us all off guard," Gary says. "Our guard was completely down that day. " Gary doesn't want us to use his last name or show his face, but he is willing to share some of what he saw and did as deadly violence erupted in his place of worship. "I'm not going to tell the whole story right now but it'll come out in court.

By Eyewitness News (WICHITA, Kan.) Jury selection is presumed to be open, under the U.S. Constitution. But, the judge in the Scott Roeder case has ruled media are not allowed during the process.  Judge Warren Wilbert has also sealed the juror questionnaire. KWCH-TV is challenging that ruling, along with the Wichita Eagle, Kansas City Star and Associated Press.  Eyewitness News would not identify jurors or their opinions, but believes in an open court as protected by the Constitution.

Following a national outcry, lawmakers in South Dakota have shelved a bill some say would allow the killing of doctors who perform abortions. Accoring the New York Times , the legislation was postponed indefinitely on Wednesday. The newspaper quortes House speaker, Val Rausch, who says the legislation has been shelved, pending a decision on whether to allow a vote, amend the language or drop it entirely. --------------------------------------- Original Story, February, 15 Does a bill working its way through the South Dakota legislature allow for the killing of abortion providers?