Senior Erie County Judge Michael L. D'Amico barred television cameras from Kopp's trial, but allowed The Buffalo News limited photo coverage. Attorney Joseph M. Finnerty, counsel to The News, argued that case. Posted on 02/08/2003 5:42:49 PM PST by Marianne
An anti-abortion activist admitted Friday that she drove James C. Kopp to Mexico in late 1998 when he was wanted for questioning in the murder of Dr. Barnett A. Slepian.
Jennifer Rock, 32, said at a court hearing that she helped Kopp who now admits he shot the Amherst abortion provider because she was sure he was the victim of a U.S. Justice Department setup.
"I believed he was innocent," said Rock, who came to know Kopp through the right-to-life movement.
That trip to Mexico started Kopp on a 52-month trek as a fugitive in England, Scotland, Ireland and France. And it launched an international manhunt that ended in late March 2001, when French police captured Kopp in a medieval village in the French province of Brittany.
Rock's admission ended one of the big remaining mysteries about the Slepian killing: Who helped Kopp slip out of the United States?
The revelation was just one of many developments in the Kopp case Friday. In addition:
Senior Erie County Judge Michael L. D'Amico barred television cameras from Kopp's trial, but allowed The Buffalo News limited photo coverage. Attorney Joseph M. Finnerty, counsel to The News, argued that case.
One of Kopp's attorneys said Kopp planned to take the stand in the case to explain why he shot Slepian.
D'Amico said jury selection in the case will begin March 3, with testimony set to begin March 17.
Prosecutors flew Rock to Buffalo for an evidence-suppression hearing Friday. She identified herself as a business consultant and a pro-life activist, but did not disclose where she is living now.
With Kopp smiling at the defense table as she testified, Rock told the judge that by early November 1998, she knew that Kopp was wanted on a material witness warrant in the Slepian case. But at that time, she did not believe he was involved in the Amherst physician's murder.
And so, when Kopp telephoned her on Nov. 4, 1998, she was willing to help him.
Rock testified that Kopp told her "he was in trouble," but told her not to believe anything she read in the newspapers linking him to the Slepian murder. He then asked her to let him use money they had expected to use to jointly buy a Jersey City apartment building.
She promptly withdrew $7,226 she had been holding for him in a bank and made him a fake West Virginia driver's license.
A day later, on Nov. 5, Rock met Kopp in a White Plains shopping mall.
"I know you're innocent," she told him.
Kopp "may have nodded" but otherwise did not respond, she testified.
Rock told the court she talked Kopp out of fleeing the country from the Newark, N.J., airport - where he abandoned his car - because she felt it was "too risky for him."
She then persuaded Kopp to let her drive him to Mexico instead.
During the three-day drive, which ended at the Nuevo Laredo airport in northern Mexico, Rock said Kopp who usually wore a beard - was clean-shaven. She also said he purchased reddish-blond hair dye and changed his hair color while on the trip.
Kopp and Rock never discussed the Slepian murder during the drive, she testified.
"I thought it would be insulting to question his character," she said.
She never asked why he was fleeing, either.
"I didn't want to know," Rock testified, given that she knew law enforcement might someday want to question her about her links with Kopp.
Rock testified with immunity from prosecution. She previously testified with immunity before federal and Erie County grand juries in the Kopp case.
One of Kopp's lawyers, John V. Elmore, cross-examined Rock and got her to acknowledge that she felt the FBI had "pressured" her to testify against Kopp.
Elmore was upset at D'Amico's key ruling of the day, in which he barred television cameras from the courtroom during Kopp's upcoming trial on state murder charges. However, Elmore said he would not appeal the decision.
Citing the State Legislature's decision six years ago not to renew a decadelong experiment that put cameras in courtrooms, D'Amico upheld the constitutionality of the state's 50-year-old ban on television-camera court coverage.
But D'Amico said trial judges have discretion to allow some cameras in the courtroom, which means he can give Buffalo News photographers limited access.
D'Amico said he will speak with attorneys for The News, Kopp and prosecutors before issuing an order that will allow still photography with some restrictions.
Federal prosecutors - who will try Kopp separately at a later date - opposed television and still-camera coverage of the state trial.
Kopp's attorneys argued for television coverage but against still-camera coverage. Kopp wanted television cameras to be there when he testifies in the trial, said Elmore, his attorney.
Kopp "wants to take the stand to tell the reason" he shot Slepian, Elmore said.
After years of maintaining his innocence, Kopp told two Buffalo News reporters in November that he had shot Slepian, arguing that he meant only to wound the doctor to stop him from performing abortions.
Elmore said Kopp had wanted television cameras to film his jailhouse confession, but sheriff's department officials refused to permit a camera crew to film the session in the county Holding Center.
Before court broke Friday, the judge told Elmore and Deputy District Attorney Joseph J. Marusak that he expects to begin questioning about 100 prospective jurors March 3.
D'Amico told the attorneys to be ready to begin personally questioning prospective jurors March 12.
I couldn't have put it better myself. I also salute you; too many conservatives are too willing to let their consistency slip with regards to this issue.
The con men and scam artists LOVE people as "faithful" as this.
Well, "daddy to be," I will grant your technical point, off Roe v Wade. The so-called "law of the land."
But, multiple millions in this land know in their gut, that abortion is a killing of a human being. As a nation, we were given time to repent of this. We have wasted this, now the hard rain may indeed fall.
I never will defend killing baby killers. Knee-capping, thumb-breaking I can defend. But, not killing killers.
Multiple millions in this land ALSO "know in their guts" that guns should be outlawed; that SUV's should be banned; that your property should be subject to confiscation if the government so deems; and that George W. Bush LOST the 2000 election. These "gut feelings" have the same validity as any of the sort; that is, none, factually and legally speaking.
For most issues, conservatives rightly claim the high ground by NOT resorting to emotional, FEEELING-based arguments. Only on this one issue, it seems, does the Right give so totally in to FEEEEELIngs.
Feelings and beliefs, no matter how strong, are NO basis for laws.
"I never will defend killing baby killers. Knee-capping, thumb-breaking I can defend. But, not killing killers."
We have nothing further to discuss, then. you support the tactics and means of terrorists and murderers the world over, it seems. If, that is, it is directed in a manner YOU "believe in your gut" to be the correct one.
Fortunately, millions of Americans also oppose this madness.
You forgot about Kopp's lawyer sitting next to him while he made the confession to two newspaper reporters. Going off on a riff about Kansi, Malvo and Muhommed means the tin foil is a bit too tight.
Kopp claimed that he only meant to shoot Slepian in the shoulder & didn't know that bullet would tumble and kill him.
Your recommendation seems to come straight from The Sopranos--or the old Mayor Daley who said, "shoot to maim" during the 1968 Chicago Dem convention.
It also means that emotion and "gut feelings" have overridden facts, reason, and logic, not to mention law.
Our side is NOT served well by this.
However, conservatives comply with the rule of law. It can't be waived because of someone's personal ideology.
I'm reminded of this ELF arsonist in Oregon who was sentenced to 20+ years for firebombing SUV's last year or the year before. His supporters were stunned and shocked because his sentence was "excessive." The judge just didn't undertand *why* he did it, they said, and it was for the *environment.* It was crap then and this defense of Kopp is crap now.
We simply can't stoop to their level.
You're preachin' to th' choir, Kitty. It is AMAZING to me how few conservatives actually see this inconsistency.
I know what you mean. Did either of you catch that mental giant, Pat Robertson, on Hannity's show last week? What a wonderful worker for THE OTHER SIDE he was!
Sean asked him about a poll showing that 95% of Americans disagreed with him that 9-11 was "God's Judgement" upon the U.S. Pat's response?
"(chuckle) Well, the American People, God bless 'em, are in denial. I mean, ya cain't slaughter 40,000,000 babies and not expect God to take notice..."
I turned the radio off at that point. How much of a bottom-feeder do you have to be to take something like the murder of 3,000 helpless Americans and hitch it to your top fund-raising issue? I'm sure the RATS who heard him took close note.
If you don't happen to have those names, if any, just please move your pie hole to the "shut" position. Your NARAL "we are all helpless victims" whining will not help you here.
Anyway Slepian's widow is doing well and doesn't need our help. You do know those people in the abortion racket have no normal emotions, right? They don't feel pain, suffering, joy, or any other sort of emotion at all. They respond only to economic motives - the worst sort, really! It's an hereditary condition too.
Both are of the Islamic faith albeit with a small sect centered in the Buffalo/Toronto area.
Isn't that a supposed organization the existence of which is actually imagined only by the FBI and their friends at NARAL and PP?
Years ago it was a name of convenience used by a couple of Lutheran lay-ministers who were laying small firebombs at a number of abortion mills now long out of business.
Anyone who believes in the Army of God (Hezbollah, in Arabic interestingly enough) believes in a fairy tale.
Anti-abortionists don't really need an organization of somesort to inform them that abortionists and their friends are evil personified.
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