Assassination of George Tiller
On May 31, 2009, George Tiller, a physician from Wichita, Kansas, who was nationally known for being one of the few doctors in the United States to perform late terminations of pregnancy, was murdered by Scott Roeder, an anti-abortion extremist. Tiller was shot to death at pointblank range during a Sunday morning service at his church, Reformation Lutheran Church, where he was serving as an usher. Tiller had previously survived an assassination attempt in 1993 when Shelley Shannon shot him in the arms.
| Assassination of George Tiller | |
|---|---|
George Tiller gives a consultation in 1997 in his clinic, Women's Health Care, which he owned and operated from 1975 until his death. | |
| Location | Foyer of Reformation Lutheran Church 7601 East 13th Street Wichita, Kansas |
| Date | May 31, 2009 c. 10:00 a.m. (UTC-6) |
Attack type | Assassination |
| Victim | George Tiller, M.D. |
| Perpetrator | Scott Philip Roeder |
| Motive | Anti-abortion violence |
| Verdict | Guilty on all counts |
| Convictions | First degree murder, aggravated assault (x2) |
| Sentence | Life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years, plus two years |
Roeder was arrested within three hours of the shooting and charged with first-degree murder and related crimes two days later. In November 2009, Roeder publicly confessed to the killing, telling the Associated Press that he had shot Tiller because "preborn children's lives were in imminent danger." Roeder was found guilty of first-degree murder and two counts of aggravated assault on January 29, 2010, and sentenced on April 1, 2010, to life imprisonment without any chance of parole for 50 years. This sentence was later reduced to allow for the possibility of parole after serving 25 years.