SLEPIAN'S WIDOW ATTENDS KOPP'S ARRAIGNMENT

The Buffalo News ^ | June 7, 2002 | By Dan Herbeck and Gene Warner

[Marianne]

Lynne Slepian got her first look at her husband's accused killer Thursday, as she sat in the front row of a crowded courtroom - no more than 20 feet away from James C. Kopp during his arraignment on a murder charge.

She sat with a victim/witness coordinator from the Erie County district attorney's office as Kopp - heavily guarded by court deputies and wearing handcuffs and a bulletproof vest - was arraigned before State Supreme Court Justice Eugene M. Fahey.

Lynne Slepian, who was in the home with the couple's four sons when her husband was slain, stared intently at Kopp, but showed little reaction during the brief court proceeding. She made no comment afterward.

"She showed no emotion as she intently scrutinized the man accused of shooting into the kitchen of her home and murdering her husband," said Glenn E. Murray, a family friend and attorney who also represents the local Pro-Choice Network.

"I know it had to be difficult for her to see this man in person for the first time," said District Attorney Frank J. Clark. "None of us can imagine the agony she's been through."

Murray said Mrs. Slepian, who feels her family is under siege by the media, does not wish to be contacted by reporters regarding developments in the Kopp case.

"Her paramount concern is her children, and the delay in prosecuting Kopp has added to her agony," Murray said. "It's tough dealing with four boys when you're a single parent. It's tougher when your husband was murdered. It's even tougher when the prosecution of the man indicted in his murder drags on for years and years.

"Her family will never be the same, but she's dedicated to maintaining as much normalcy as possible for their children."

For the second day in a row, Kopp pleaded not guilty to charges that he hid in a wooded area behind the Slepians' Amherst home and gunned down Dr. Barnett A. Slepian on the night of Oct. 23, 1998. Kopp also pleaded not guilty to federal charges in the case Wednesday.

Kopp's denial of the state murder charge was issued through his attorneys, Paul J. Cambria Jr. and Barry N. Covert. Security at Thursday's State Supreme Court appearance was much more visible than on Wednesday in federal court, where Kopp appeared in casual clothes, with no shackles or bulletproof vest.

The defendant, a thin, pale man who wears thick glasses, looked nervous and said little during the six-minute appearance before Fahey.

Kopp is not expected to go on trial for at least nine months, and it has not yet been decided whether the first trial would be held in state or federal court. It's also unclear whether the trial could be moved elsewhere.

Whenever and wherever the trial is held, it will be a dogfight, promised Cambria, a veteran defense lawyer who is known for his confrontational courtroom style. Cambria said he and Covert will attack the evidence obtained by the FBI and local law enforcement agencies.

Kopp's supporters in the pro-life community - who operate a Web site for Kopp and are raising money for his defense - claim he is being framed, either by unscrupulous police officials or by people in the pro-choice community.

"There are people all over this country who believe he is being framed," Cambria said. "I've had letters from priests, business people, professional people from all walks of life, who support him and believe he's innocent.

"The prosecution will have a fight on its hands. We can handle whatever is tossed our way."

Police did an extraordinary job of investigating the Slepian murder, and Kopp is not being framed, said Clark and U.S. Attorney Michael A. Battle.

Clark said he believes there is a strong case against Kopp, and he has assigned three prosecutors - Joseph J. Marusak, Jeffrey Hagen and Steven Meyer - to try the case. Marusak, who heads the prosecution team, is a veteran of more than 50 homicide jury trials.

"Yes, it is a dogfight, but I like the dogs I have in this fight," Clark said.

Michael S. Taheri, an Amherst trial attorney who teaches criminal defense at the University at Buffalo Law School, said the Kopp case is "tailor-made" for Cambria. But he also described Marusak as one of the toughest and most experienced prosecutors in Western New York.

"Cambria and Barry Covert will attack every single scrap of the prosecution case, and Marusak will be battling back at every turn," said Taheri. "If it is tried in state court, it would be the kind of trial that I would send my law students out to watch. It will be a classic confrontation."

Taheri predicted that the Russian-made rifle that prosecutors claim was used by Kopp to kill Slepian will become one of the key issues in the case, regardless of where the trial takes place.

Federal agents and Amherst police, using metal detectors at times, scoured the wooded area behind the Slepian home for days after the murder. They found no murder weapon until returning to the woods for another search on April 8, 1999 - more than five months after the crime.

"Paul Cambria will have a field day with the gun," Taheri said on Thursday. "He will raise all kinds of questions about why it wasn't found in the earlier searches, questions about the chain of custody, questions about why it was suddenly found all those months later. He will really go after law enforcement on that issue."

The woman who headed the federal investigation of Kopp - former U.S. Attorney Denise E. O'Donnell, now in private practice - said police deserve credit for going back and redoubling their efforts to find the gun.

"I think that people who speculate on the evidence in this case may be surprised down the road, when all the evidence comes out," O'Donnell said. "It is a circumstantial case, but there is some very strong evidence."

When asked about the gun evidence, Cambria said: "I'm not getting into that kind of speculation now, but there are a lot of questions we're going to be raising about that, and other things."

Cambria, whose past clients have included Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt, rock musician Marilyn Manson, Laborers Local 91 and dozens of high-profile criminal suspects, declined to comment when asked who is paying Kopp's legal bills, which are expected to be expensive.

"There is no one person paying the legal bill. It's a grass-roots effort. People who support Jim and believe he is innocent are raising the money," Cambria said. "From what I understand, they have received donations from all over the country - anywhere from $5 to $5,000."

Cambria said there is no truth to a rumor circulated in the Buffalo legal community that he was paid $1 million upfront to represent Kopp.

"I have heard that one, and it isn't true," Cambria said. "But the costs of defending a case like this are going to be substantial. You've got cases going in two different courts. You need to hire DNA experts, investigators, support people, expert witnesses. It's a huge undertaking."

Cambria declined to discuss his own fees in the case, saying he never discusses such issues publicly.

Taheri said that, in his opinion, the overall expenses for defending a case like Kopp's could "easily go over $1 million."

"You need two lawyers in the courtroom. You need other lawyers and legal assistants doing support work. You need investigators, and they may have to travel all over the country," Taheri said. "I've had expert witnesses charge me $250 an hour."

In the meantime, authorities are taking every safeguard in protecting Kopp, including the use of handcuffs and the bulletproof vest on Thursday.

"I don't think we could ever explain not taking every precaution possible, if something happened," Erie County Sheriff Patrick Gallivan said. "We made the decision . . . because of the volatility of the (abortion) issue and because of the bombings and other shootings we have seen around the country."

The sheriff said Kopp has his own cell in the county Holding Center, but Kopp is not in isolation. He is housed in an area with other homicide defendants.

Gallivan said he considers Kopp an unusually high-profile prisoner, but added that, so far, no threats have been made to Kopp's safety.

"He'll probably have very little contact with other inmates, but that has more to do with his notoriety," the sheriff said. "We want to make sure he's safe. We can best ensure his safety by keeping him away from other inmates."

[Marianne]

Unfortunately, Attorney General Dennis Vacco refused the "Right to Life" Party line on the ballot that year.
I don't remember the name of the individual who ran on that line. However, the votes recorded on the "Right to Life" line were more than enough to make the difference. If Vacco, who claims to be pro-life, had taken the line he would still be the attorney general.

[muawiyah]

Try here for a listing of a few of the women killed by  their friendly neighborhood abortionist:  http://www.mttu.com/Slain-1.htm

We have a thread here in FR that tracks 78 right to life activists killed by abortionists or their associates.

[RJCogburn]

We have a thread here in FR that tracks 78 right to life activists killed by abortionists or their associates.

Interesting. Can you link or give a URL, please?

[don-o]

I still think Slepian was bumped off for political reasons.

Possibly. I have heard that he was strongly considering quitting the bloody business.

[don-o]

you people are insane.

Who is "you people"? Hope I am in that number

[Sungirl]

You shouldn't advocate illegal murders.

[don-o]

You shouldn't advocate illegal murders.

But, it's O K to advocate legal murders?

[Sungirl]

I guess that means you are against executions?

[Lois]

I think Slepian was done in by the "right-to-lifers". He was ready to quit the business and would have been seen as a political liability.

[don-o]

I guess that means you are against executions?

Yes.

But, capital punishment is not murder.

Abortion IS murder.

Agree?

[muawiyah]

Here's a thread to get a start on it. It gives you cross references to a number of other sites where they document the pro-abortion violence.  I spent one long evening going through the reports on Nebraska, Kansas and Missouri (referencing over from a site that organized everything by state).  Most of the ones I looked at could be correlated with mainstream media stories.  You might be interested in doing all the other states.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/587816/posts

We were once subjected to several days of intimidation by a bunch of Noral and Planned Parenthood bulldykes.  All I had done is send a letter to a local paper about some abortion issue.  I inadvertantly used the expression "abortion mill".  So I am not at all surprised these people use violence against their more vigorous opponents.  <P>Since then I have simply denied them the dignity of recognizable "personhood" in anything I write.

[muawiyah]

This guy's death was a hunting accident and it would never have happened if he hadn't bought a "light up the universe" security system.

No doubt his more peaceful neighbors are happy to see him and the problems he brought to their community gone.

His wife is probably happy too - she has many fewer women against whom she must compete, and she ended up with all his money

[don-o]

I think Slepian was done in by the "right-to-lifers". He was ready to quit the business and would have been seen as a political liability

Indeed, there is talk that Slepian was finished with the business. But, the pro-life side would welcome such a conversion with open arms. A'la Dr. Bernard Nathanson (sp) creator of "Silent Scream."

No pro-lifer would have seen Slepian's turn from the dark side a reason to kill him. Like Norma Corvey of Doe vs Bolton fame (the run up to Roe v Wade.)

Former baby killers are powerful witnesses of their own blinded eyes being opened and their hearts being changed.

[Sungirl]

a·bor·tion Pronunciation Key (-bôrshn) n.

Termination of pregnancy and expulsion of an embryo or of a fetus that is incapable of survival.
Any of various procedures that result in such termination and expulsion. Also called induced abortion.
The premature expulsion of a nonviable fetus from the uterus; a miscarriage.
Cessation of normal growth, especially of an organ or other body part, prior to full development or maturation.
An aborted organism.
Something malformed or incompletely developed; a monstrosity

--------------------------------

mur·der Pronunciation Key (mûrdr) n.

The unlawful killing of one human by another, especially with premeditated malice.
Slang. Something that is very uncomfortable, difficult, or hazardous: The rush hour traffic is murder.
A flock of crows. See Synonyms at flock1.

v. mur·dered, mur·der·ing, mur·ders v. tr.
To kill (another human) unlawfully.
To kill brutally or inhumanly.
To put an end to; destroy: murdered their chances.
To spoil by ineptness; mutilate: a speech that murdered the English language.
Slang. To defeat decisively; trounce.

====================================

I don't see the word murder in the definition of Abortion.....and I don't see abortion in the definition of murder.
How you chose to see it is your own personal chosing I guess. I still don't think you should advocate the killing of Dr.s who do nothing illegal. You should follow the law and do what you can legally. I don't think it's against the law to picket and gather signatures to change the law. Have you tried that... ...or do you just support killers who like to make up their own rules.
Don't dissect the definitions to try to justify that insane felon.... Adios.

[don-o]

I don't see the word murder in the definition of Abortion.....and I don't see abortion in the definition of murder.

So unborn children are not human beings? That is your belief?

How you chose to see it is your own personal chosing I guess. I still don't think you should advocate the killing of Dr.s who do nothing illegal.

Careful here. I have not advocated killing anyone. If I have, post it back.

Have you tried that... ...or do you just support killers who like to make up their own rules.

Well, I support the rule of law - presumed innocent until proven guilty.

And, yes, I have signed petitions picketed, wrote letters been arrested - to try to stop baby killing.

Time now for Sungirl to declare where she stands on the right of the unborn.

Don't dissect the definitions to try to justify that insane felon

Not only judge, jury and executioner, now we have a head shrinker here. Is this the greatest site or what?

[RJCogburn]

Thanks for the link. I did check it out this morning.

No doubt that women have died from 'botched' abortions or abortions done by incompetents or by nasty people who, beyond the ethical questions of abortion itself, are bad people.

My reading of your comments suggested that there are people in the proabortion camp who have purposely targeted pro-lifers for harm or death and except for anecdotes of a policeman beating one person and the explosives found under podium in another example, I don't see that. No doubt, though, that there are some bad people around on either side.

With regard to your statement about abortionists being murdered as they frequent some undesireable neighborhood or pursue unpleasant 'recreation', I take that to refer to some of the bad people referred to in your link and understand your comment now as a sort of 'poetic license'.

[RepubMommy]

Even more ridiculous upon a second reading.

LOL! I am sitting here reading and drinking my cup and jo and started staring at it wondering if it wasn't strong enough.

[RepubMommy]

How you chose to see it is your own personal chosing I guess. I still don't think you should advocate the killing of Dr.s who do nothing illegal. You should follow the law and do what you can legally. I don't think it's against the law to picket and gather signatures to change the law. Have you tried that... ...or do you just support killers who like to make up their own rules. Don't dissect the definitions to try to justify that insane felon

Surely there must be some rational thinkers here that stray from extremists from both ends. I am pro life but do not advocate killing abortionists. That's rather hypocritical, no?

[muawiyah]

You can imagine the difficulty in doing a google.com search of "abortionist" and "murder", and then thinning that down to just a few thousand relevant posts.

We also have a practice that's been around over 30 years, with most of it going on BEFORE the creation of the internet. Over that period of time there have been a good number of abortionists and their assistants killed in situations not involving the "workplace" as we might call it. As a result, their deaths are not recorded anywhere as "abortionist killed". Instead, it might just be "Doctor so and so".

There are exceptions. One of these guys managed to get identified as an abortionist and as someone killed in a robbery because he was shot down during a period of heightened awareness - some other abortionist was shot by someone with a political motivation.

Except for the heightened awareness this would have been reported as nothing more than "Dr. so and so shot in robbery".

The Nuremburg Files don't even have all these guys, probably because the authors don't know all the doctors who are abortionists. They need to acquire the NARAL mailing list! That could probably be done by paying a few bucks to the guys who do mailings for NARAL to run off an extra one-up list. It's amazing how folks come across with the darndest stuff when you offer them money, and not large sums of money either.

Once the list was in hand deaths could be properly tracked to see exactly how many abortionists die in accidents, in robberies, in other armed confrontations, and so forth. In fact, next time NARAL is involved in a civil law suit against Operation Rescue, or any of the other folks they like to sue, one element of discovery should include acquisition of the membership list so the individuals being sued can be made aware of the identities of their accusers.

Now, on the other side of the question, we have pro-life folks who are being killed by abortionists and pro-abortion activists. The FBI does not track these situations so the information referenced is only the tip of the iceburg. Surprising just how much of it there is reported even without a requirement that it be done.