A man charged with fatally shooting three people at a health clinic last month told a Colorado judge he wants to represent himself in court.
Prosecutors filed eight counts of first-degree murder against Robert L. Dear, the man accused of killing three people and wounding nearly a dozen others at a Planned Parenthood office in late November.
Dear, 57, told the judge he wants to represent himself and questioned how he can trust his attorney, Daniel King, who has suggested Dear is not fit to stand trial.
Dear made a number of statements in his previous court appearance, including one in which he admitted his role in the shooting that left two civilians and a police officer dead.
“I am guilty! There will be no trial!” he shouted. “I am a warrior for the babies!”
According to KOAA-TV, Dear made more than a dozen outbursts during two hearings on Dec. 9, including an “expanded media hearing” in which cameras were allowed inside the courtroom.
Along with the eight counts of first-degree murder, prosecutors have also filed 131 counts of attempted murder against Dear. A total of 179 felony counts were charged against Dear, the prosecutor in the case said. Dear is expected to be formally arraigned on the charges at a future hearing.
A judge has issued a gag order in the case.
