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Minister Who Killed Abortion Doctor Awaits Execution

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

 

Filed at 3:23 p.m. ET

 

STARKE, Fla. (AP) -- Anticipating his reward in heaven, an unrepentant Paul Hill awaited execution Wednesday for the shotgun slayings of an abortion doctor and his bodyguard outside a Pensacola clinic nine years ago.

 

The 49-year-old former Presbyterian minister stood to become the first person executed in the United States for anti-abortion violence.

 

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Death penalty opponents and others called on Gov. Jeb Bush to halt the execution, some of them warning Hill's death would make him a martyr and unleash more violence against abortion clinics. The governor said he would not be ``bullied'' into stopping the execution, the third in Florida this year.

 

Florida abortion clinics and police were on heightened alert for reprisals.

 

``Paul Hill is a dangerous psychopath,'' said Marti McKenzie, spokeswoman for Dr. James S. Pendergraft, who runs clinics in Orlando, Ocala, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.

 

Hill was to be executed by lethal injection for the deaths of Dr. John Britton and his bodyguard, retired Air Force Lt. Col. James Herman Barrett. Barrett's wife, June, was wounded.

 

Hill had final visits Wednesday with his wife and son, along with his spiritual adviser, parents and two sisters. His two daughters visited him earlier in the week.

 

Extra law enforcement officers, explosives-sniffing dogs and undercover officers were posted outside Florida State Prison to prevent any protests by death penalty and abortion foes from getting out of hand.

 

``We don't want an incident of national proportion,'' Sheriff Bob Milner said.

 

After losing his automatic appeals, Hill did not fight his execution and insisted in a jailhouse interview a day before he was to die that he would be forgiven by God for killing to save the unborn.

 

``I expect a great reward in heaven,'' he said in the interview, during which he was cheerful, often smiling. ``I am looking forward to glory.''

 

He added: ``More people should act as I have acted.''

 

Members of the mainstream anti-abortion movement have denounced the calls for violence.

 

``You do not take the law into your own hands and kill in the name of life, that is a contradiction in terms and is absurd,'' said Lynda Bell, a spokeswoman for Florida Right to Life.

 

Inspired by the 1993 shooting death of another abortion doctor in Pensacola, Hill bought a shotgun, went to the Ladies Center in Pensacola on July 29, 1994, and shot Barrett in the head and upper body. He then reloaded and fired again, hitting Britton in the head and arm. June Barrett was wounded in the arm.

 

Hill put down the shotgun because he did not want to get shot by police and walked away. When officers arrested him within minutes, he said, ``I know one thing: No innocent babies are going to be killed in that clinic today.''

 

Several Florida officials connected to the case received threatening letters last week, accompanied by rifle bullets.

 

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E-rock said:

Minister Who Killed Abortion Doctor Awaits Execution

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

 

 

Filed at 3:23 p.m. ET

 

STARKE, Fla. (AP) -- Anticipating his reward in heaven, an unrepentant Paul Hill awaited execution Wednesday for the shotgun slayings of an abortion doctor and his bodyguard outside a Pensacola clinic nine years ago.

 

The 49-year-old former Presbyterian minister stood to become the first person executed in the United States for anti-abortion violence.

 

Advertisement

 

 

 

Death penalty opponents and others called on Gov. Jeb Bush to halt the execution, some of them warning Hill's death would make him a martyr and unleash more violence against abortion clinics. The governor said he would not be ``bullied'' into stopping the execution, the third in Florida this year.

 

Florida abortion clinics and police were on heightened alert for reprisals.

 

``Paul Hill is a dangerous psychopath,'' said Marti McKenzie, spokeswoman for Dr. James S. Pendergraft, who runs clinics in Orlando, Ocala, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.

 

Hill was to be executed by lethal injection for the deaths of Dr. John Britton and his bodyguard, retired Air Force Lt. Col. James Herman Barrett. Barrett's wife, June, was wounded.

 

Hill had final visits Wednesday with his wife and son, along with his spiritual adviser, parents and two sisters. His two daughters visited him earlier in the week.

 

Extra law enforcement officers, explosives-sniffing dogs and undercover officers were posted outside Florida State Prison to prevent any protests by death penalty and abortion foes from getting out of hand.

 

``We don't want an incident of national proportion,'' Sheriff Bob Milner said.

 

After losing his automatic appeals, Hill did not fight his execution and insisted in a jailhouse interview a day before he was to die that he would be forgiven by God for killing to save the unborn.

 

``I expect a great reward in heaven,'' he said in the interview, during which he was cheerful, often smiling. ``I am looking forward to glory.''

 

He added: ``More people should act as I have acted.''

 

Members of the mainstream anti-abortion movement have denounced the calls for violence.

 

``You do not take the law into your own hands and kill in the name of life, that is a contradiction in terms and is absurd,'' said Lynda Bell, a spokeswoman for Florida Right to Life.

 

Inspired by the 1993 shooting death of another abortion doctor in Pensacola, Hill bought a shotgun, went to the Ladies Center in Pensacola on July 29, 1994, and shot Barrett in the head and upper body. He then reloaded and fired again, hitting Britton in the head and arm. June Barrett was wounded in the arm.

 

Hill put down the shotgun because he did not want to get shot by police and walked away. When officers arrested him within minutes, he said, ``I know one thing: No innocent babies are going to be killed in that clinic today.''

 

Several Florida officials connected to the case received threatening letters last week, accompanied by rifle bullets.

 

Send this mofo on his way. The only upside of political violence is that it, more than anything else, utterly discredits the movement that those committing the violence are attempting to bolster. E.g. the millitia movement. Same thing happened back in the late 60's and early 70's when radical left-wing types tried this tactic.

 

The knowledge that those carrying out the violence killed off any hope of every gaining widespread support for their movement does very little to dull the pain that the victim's families feel however, so I'd much prefer it if violent extremists would discredit themselves and their movements by simply stating their views in public as much as possible.

 

The earth will be a better place without this POS. Flip the switch.

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