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From New York Times.

June 7, 2002

Man Denies Murdering a Doctor Who Performed Abortions
By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD

BUFFALO, June 6 — A man accused of killing a doctor who performed abortions here pleaded not guilty to murder today as the physician's widow looked on in a packed courtroom.

The murder suspect, James C. Kopp, 47, was escorted by Erie County sheriff's deputies into State Supreme Court wearing a bulletproof vest over a purple shirt and olive slacks. He walked past the front-row seat of Lynne Slepian, the wife of Dr. Barnett A. Slepian, whom he is accused of shooting to death at the doctor's suburban home in Amherst on Oct. 23, 1998.

Their eyes did not meet, and Mrs. Slepian later left the courtroom through a back door without speaking to reporters.

Mr. Kopp's only words were a soft "yes" or "yes, sir" when the judge, Eugene Fahey, asked routine questions about his name and whether he had a lawyer. Mr. Kopp did not ask for bail and remains in jail.

On Wednesday, the day after being extradited from France, he pleaded not guilty to federal charges of using a firearm to commit a violent crime and violating a federal law against interfering with the operations of abortion clinics.

Michael A. Battle, the United States attorney for the Western District of New York, said Wednesday that state and federal authorities would prepare their cases simultaneously but that the state trial would be held first.

Mr. Kopp faces a maximum sentence of life without parole on the federal charges and 25 years to life on the state charge; under an agreement with France clearing his extradition, American officials said, Mr. Kopp will not face the death penalty.

Mr. Kopp's arraignment today took about five minutes and went routinely. But there were hints that it will be anything but a routine trial — starting with Mr. Kopp's vest, which Sheriff's Department officials said was a precaution against attacks.

A dozen television and newspaper photographers waited in a courthouse hallway for a glimpse of Mr. Kopp and other key players in the case.

Earlier in the morning, Judge Fahey denied requests from The Buffalo News and local television stations to photograph Mr. Kopp's arraignment, saying it might be disruptive and jeopardize his right to a fair trial. Judge Fahey left open the option for the news media to submit requests to the trial judge.

Mr. Kopp is being represented by Paul J. Cambria Jr., one of the most prominent criminal defense lawyers in Buffalo and a past president of the New York State Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. His clients have included the Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt and the rock performer Marilyn Manson.

Mr. Cambria said Mr. Kopp would mount a vigorous, expensive drive to prove his innocence — challenging, for example, scientific evidence that prosecutors say links Mr. Kopp to the scene of the crime.

He said thousands of people had already contributed to a criminal defense fund on Mr. Kopp's behalf; a Web site with anti-abortion messages is devoted to Mr. Kopp and his case and asks people to donate money for his legal costs.

With regard to James Kopp's fleeing instead of turning himself in:
October 23, 1998 - Dr. Slepian is murdered.
October 24, 1998 - The FBI visits E. James Gannon, a resident of Whiting, New Jersey and seize Kopp’s private property.
From the Life Dynamics Report:
"Why — less than 24 hours after the shooting — is the FBI even involved? Murder is not automatically a federal crime, and according to their own documents, at this point they have no evidence whatsoever that any other federal crime was committed. Moreover, why are they seizing Kopp’s private property when they have absolutely no evidence that either Kopp or Gannon was involved?
December 18, 1998 - Kopp's car is found in the Newark Airport parking lot. Note: It is now almost 2 months since the murder.
Again, from the Life Dynamics Report:
November 9, 1998 — RENO CREATES FEDERAL PROBE
United States Attorney General, Janet Reno, establishes a federal task force to investigate the possibility that Slepian was the victim of a widespread anti-abortion plot. This effort was run by the FBI . . .
One FBI source contacted for the New York Post article confirmed the investigation, pointing out that, 'this is a highly political, highly corrupt administration.' . . .
2. In several places, we have suggested that the FBI/APD may have manufactured the case against Kopp. The question is, what reason would they have for doing such a thing. First, law enforcement officials often have a case in which they are absolutely convinced of someone’s guilt but lack the evidence to prove it. In such circumstances, it is not at all unheard of for evidence to suddenly materialize. That may explain how the most damaging evidence against Kopp was missed during the initial search of the crime scene, and then mysteriously turns up later at the same location."

Is it possible that James Kopp and his friends realized that it would be impossible for him to receive a fair trial from the Reno Justice Department?