Athens
Murder
16-year old Stephanie Nicole Burnett told her boyfriend, Matthew John Wiedeman, that she was pregnant. She said she wanted to keep the baby and marry him, but Wiedeman demanded that she have an abortion, according to witnesses. Burnett refused.
So, late in the evening on April 21, 2002, Wiedeman's friend, Raymond Anthony Soto, knocked on Burnett's window and talked her into sneaking outside to talk with Wiedeman. She followed Soto to the parking lot, where Wiedeman attacked her from behind with a heavy solid steel barbell, as Soto stabbed her with a long-bladed knife.
Burnett's brother found her body around 7 a.m. Monday in a parking lot next to their south Augusta house, police said. Police said the murder weapons were found Monday beneath a nearby storm drain.
On April 22, Wiedeman was charged with murder.
The next day, an autopsy at the Georgia crime lab revealed that Burnett was not pregnant after all, Richmond County sheriff's Major Ken Autry said. "I think it's one of the most gruesome [murders] I've ever seen," Deputy Coroner Grover Tuten said.
Wiedeman, a high school dropout who lived with his father, was being held at the Augusta Regional Youth Detention Center on murder charges. Police said they plan to try him as an adult. Soto, another dropout who temporarily lived with Wiedeman, was in Richmond County jail without bond, charged with murder and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime.
Grief counselors were brought in to Butler High School, where Burnett was a student, Richmond County schools spokesman Justin Martin said. Burnett's family members said she loved animals and crafts, played soccer and wanted to be a real estate agent. Her sudden death came as a shock, they said.
Burnett's older sister Rebecca said "It's not something we ever planned on, especially for a 16-year-old. We were thinking more along the lines of buying her a car, not a casket."
An autopsy showed that the first blow to Stephanie's head with a dumbbell bar was fatal, preventing District Attorney Danny Craig from seeking the death penalty against Soto. He could also not seek the death penalty against Wiedeman, because he was 16 when the crime occurred, which makes him ineligible for the death penalty.
Prosecutors had been considering seeking the death penalty against Soto, because there was an aggravating circumstance that applied in the case. According to Georgia law, a person can be tried for the death penalty if a murder was "outrageously and wantonly vile and inhumane" in that it indicated "torture, depravity of mind or an aggravated battery to the victim."
Craig said that "There is no evidence of torture as that term is defined in our law. That term is very specific. Though I personally believe both of them deserve the death penalty for the crime, the law does not allow that punishment."
On May 7, 2002, a Richmond County grand jury indicted Soto and Wiedeman on charges of malice murder and possession of a knife during the commission of a crime.
References: "Autopsy: Murdered Girl Not Pregnant." Associated Press, April 23, 2002; WXIA-TV, Atlanta, Georgia, April 23, 2002; Steven Ertelt's Pro-Life Infonet at http://www.prolifeinfo.org, April 23, 2002; Greg Rickabaugh. "Autopsy Prevents Death Penalty." The Augusta Chronicle, May 8, 2002.
Atlanta
Murder (2 counts) and Burglary [Marietta]
Michael Willard Buttram met 'exotic dancer' Tara Cantrell at a bachelor party and began dating her. They had been going out for about a year when she started seeing her former boyfriend, Jason Talley, and became pregnant by him.
Buttram followed Cantrell and Talley to several bars, and threatened Talley, saying "You can run, but you can't hide."
On March 8, 1999, police responded to a call from a neighbor of the Cantrells who heard gunshots. Police found Tara and her mother, Mildred Cantrell, inside their Mableton home, each dead of multiple gunshot wounds. Buttram had broken into the Cantrell home earlier that morning, and police advised Tara to file a restraining order. But he returned anyway, shot them both, and then stole Tara's Acura Integra and fled in it.
Buttram vanished, and the search for him turned into a nationwide manhunt. Fox's "America's Most Wanted" even aired a segment on Buttram in an effort to apprehend him. Buttram made it as far as El Paso, Texas, then hitchhiked back to Jonesboro to see his father, Barry Buttram.
He then surrendered to Cobb police.
On November 20, 2003, a jury found Buttram guilty of two counts of murder and one count of burglary, and he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
References: Phillip Giltman. "Police Say Man Fatally Shot Pregnant Estranged Girlfriend, Her Mother." Marietta Daily Journal, November 3, 2003; Associated Press. "Jury Hands Buttram Life Sentence." The Macon Telegraph, November 23, 2003.
Murder, Aggravated Sexual Battery, Rape (6 incidents), Aggravated Child Molestation (6 incidents), Assault (4 incidents), Battery, and Cruelty to Children (2 counts) [Decatur]
According to police reports, Curtis Grayer Jr., 37, was sexually abusing his ten-year-old stepdaughter on a regular basis. She unexpectedly became pregnant by him, which presented him with a problem. He couldn't take her to an abortion mill, because obvious questions would be raised.
So, after she delivered the baby boy at his home on October 18, 2002, police say, he performed a "fourth-trimester abortion" on the little infant, killing him.
On September 19, 2003, police arrested Grayer and charged him with murder, aggravated sexual battery, rape, child molestation and cruelty to children in denying medical care to both the infant and his stepdaughter.
Dale Davis, a spokesman for DeKalb County police, said that police were told an infant was delivered at the house but was unaccounted for. Police spent several hours searching the suspect's home, and they also dug up portions of his yard. The search centered on Lake Buena Vista as divers combed the pond for the newborn's remains. The lake is located about four blocks from Grayer's home.
Grayer's wife, Sheila Hearns, said Grayer fathered the child after raping her daughter. Hearns said she woke up last October 19 to find her newborn grandson dead. She said that the child was born the previous night at their south DeKalb home, and that Grayer put the infant's body in a box, with a blanket and a teddy bear, and dumped it in a nearby pond. Hearns said "When the baby was alive, he had told us not to get attached to the baby. He told us not to tell anybody or he will hurt me." She also said that the baby's death was the climax of years of rape, child abuse and beatings that Hearns says she and her daughter suffered at the hands of her husband.
Grayer began sexually abusing the child about three years ago, she said, and that their home was a virtual prison for her and her daughter. She said that "He'd keep us locked in the house. He'd nail the windows down shut. He wouldn't let us go outside unless he was with us. I don't even want to go to court because I don't want to face him, for what he done to me and my daughter." Hearns has told investigators that Grayer beat both her and her daughter. Hearns' family members also said Grayer beat her.
"He had beat her so bad all my family members ganged up on him," said Sharon Hearns, a cousin of Sheila Hearns in Virginia.
Reporters visiting the peach-colored small frame house saw several windows that had been nailed shut from the outside.
The stepdaughter, now 12, is living out of state with relatives. Her name is being withheld by the press and police because of her age.
After dating in Virginia, Hearns and Grayer were married in 1999 in Florida, records show. That same year, according to police records, Grayer was arrested and charged with simple battery by Atlanta police for arguing with Hearns and dragging her on the ground near a MARTA bus stop. The police report said Hearns was bleeding.
References: "Mystery into Newborn's Death Lingers: Suspect's Girlfriend Disputes the Allegations." WSB-Television 2 [Atlanta, Georgia], September 23, 2003; "Suspected Child Killer in Court." WXIA-TV Channel 11 [Atlanta, Georgia], September 23, 2003;Ben Smith and David Simpson. "Mom Backs Girl's Accounts of Rape." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 27, 2003; "Not Guilty Plea in Rape, Murder of Newborn: Police Have Not Yet Found Infant's Remains." WSB Television 2 [Atlanta, Georgia], December 12, 2003.
Fatal Botched Abortion, Unlicensed Abortion Mill and Malpractice
After Catherine Pierce died of a botched abortion at the hands of abortionist Daniel McBrayer at the National Abortion Federation (NAF) member Atlanta Surgi-Center abortuary (previously the Northside Women's Clinic), Georgia State health officials launched an investigation. They found "serious problems" at the abortion mill, citing it for administering "the same anesthesia dosages" to patients whose weights ranges from 107 to 167 pounds, inadequate record keeping, and inadequate supervision of its patients.
A news article stated that, after state raided the abortion mill to seize its records, its spokespersons alleged that the raid was "political harassment" due to the fact that an anti-abortion activist had complained to the state about its shoddy practices. The abortion mill failed to file the appropriate state-mandated documents after Pierce's cardiac arrest and death. Its staff admitted refusing to allow investigators to access its files previously, but alleged that this was because they had only showed their badges and did not have a subpoena at the time.
The news article further reported that the State investigation found gross discrepancies between the number of aborted preborn babies sent to disposal labs and the number of abortions committed at the abortion mill; in 1989, it sent 155 fetuses but did 1,748 abortions; in 1988 it sent 301 fetuses but did 2,774 abortions; and in 1987 it sent 306 fetuses but did 1,104 abortions. Pro-lifers claimed to find aborted babies in the abortuary's trash, but the clinic director denied these allegations. An investigation was initiated after pro-lifers claimed to have seen hundreds of fetuses in dumpsters.
References: Atlanta Constitution, May 12, 1989, September 21, 1989, and January 5, 1990; Associated Press, May 12, July 28, September 20, and September 22, 1989.
Felony Feticide (2 counts), Aggravated Assault (2 incidents), Assault (2 incidents), Cruelty to Children (3 incidents) and Theft
Michael Antonio Glass and his girlfriend already had three children, and he did not want any more. So when she became pregnant again, he demanded that she have an abortion. She refused, so, on June 7, 2002, he beat her savagely, concentrating his assault on her abdomen. She managed to escape and fled to a battered women's shelter.
As a result of his attack, her preborn twin babies were delivered stillborn July 20, 2002, at Southern Regional Hospital in Riverdale.
According to warrants filed for his arrest, when he struck her in the abdomen, it caused a laceration to the liver of one of the preborn babies, which subsequently caused its death. That created a chain reaction that eventually led to the death of the second baby also.
Glass was charged with aggravated assault, two counts of felony feticide, and three counts of cruelty to children in the second degree because the assault took place in front of the couple's three children, said Major Bruce Jordan of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department. Jordan said "We expect the evidence to reveal he was after her because he wanted her to get an abortion and she did not."
Fayette Magistrate Joe Tinsley denied bond for Glass after a hearing. Tinsley pointed out that Glass had a previous history of assaulting people, and he felt that Glass "could be a danger to the public." Glass was on probation for another assault in Clayton County when the incident with his girlfriend occurred.
Glass has been held at the Fayette County Jail without bond since his arrest. At the time of his arrest, he had possession of a stolen weapon at a Marshall's department store in Atlanta where he was a manager, authorities said.
Glass denied that the latest assault ever took place.
A grand jury returned indictments against Glass on two counts of aggravated assault and three counts of cruelty to children in the second degree.
One of Glass's former girlfriends said he kidnapped her from Athens in 1990. She said that, during an argument, Glass forced her to withdraw all the money from her bank account at an automated teller machine, then he forced her into the trunk of a car and drove to a hotel in Gwinnett County. Glass kept her at the hotel against her will for approximately 24 hours. Charges were filed in the case, which was ultimately dismissed.
References: John Munford. "Man Faces Charges for Beating Pregnant Girlfriend; Babies Later Delivered Stillborn." Fayette County, Georgia Daily Citizen, July 26, 2002. Downloaded from http://www.TheCitizenNews.com on July 27, 2002; John Munford. "Boyfriend Charged with Killing Unborn Babies." Fayette County, Georgia Daily Citizen, August 25, 2002. Downloaded from http://www.TheCitizenNews.com on August 27, 2002; John Munford. "Man Charged with Feticide Denied Bond by Magistrate." Fayette County, Georgia Daily Citizen, September 4, 2002. Downloaded from http://www.TheCitizenNews.com on September 6, 2002; John Munford. "Grand Jury Tosses Out Feticide Charges." Fayette County, Georgia Citizen News, September 18, 2002. Downloaded from http://www.TheCitizenNews.com on September 20, 2002.
Torture and Assault
On October 4, 1988, police beat up peaceful pro-life rescuers and used forms of torture which are generally used only on the most violent criminals. This torture and assault was subsequently shown on CBS's "48 Hours."
Reference: Chicago Suburban Rescue (CSR) news release, August 21, 1993.
Assault (7 incidents)
During a May 19, 1990 pro-life picket of The Atlanta Journal & Constitution, seven pro-abortionists clad in costumes shouted slogans such as "A raped woman is a blessed woman," "Kill Jesus not women," and "Kill fetuses not women." Several of the seven bragged about their homosexuality. During a subsequent press conference, the pro-abortionists began shoving and assaulting the pro-lifers, and police arrested all of them and charged them with assault.
References: Operation Rescue National, Violence and Disruption Report, December 4, 1994, and Richard Greer, "Police Cite 3 Protesters in Downtown Scuffle over Abortion." The Atlanta Journal & Constitution, May 20, 1990, page D-9.
Assault [Dunwoody]
Pro-abortionist Joel Marks attacked 71-year old pro-life picketer Paul Fergus, stealing his sign and beating him with it on July 7, 1993.
References: Glenn Ellen Duncan, "The Shocking Violence Against Prolifers." Catholic Twin Circle, September 11, 1994, page 11; Paulette Likoudis. "Lone Picketer Assaulted, Then Sued For Causing 'Commotion'." The Wanderer, November 25, 1993, page 6.
Reckless Endangerment
A Fulton County judge shut down Georgia's biggest abortion mill, the Atlanta Midtown Hospital, on charges that it was so filthy and badly run that lives were endangered there every day. The Department of Human Resources said that the abortion facility was "overcrowded, understaffed and dirty" and showed "a complete disregard for, or the inability to care for, the health and safety of its patients." Superior Court Senior Judge William Alexander ordered the Ponce de Leon Avenue clinic closed while the state pursued attempts to shut it down permanently. Abortuary administrator Ignatius DeBlasio said he would appeal the decision. The state investigated for more than two years and found dozens of violations, according to the complaint it filed in Fulton Superior Court. Among them were: Unborn children were expelled on the floor and in the commode, because of overcrowding and a lack of patient monitoring; equipment was not sterilized adequately; employees could not prove their qualifications; medical records were inadequate; the facility lacked emergency policies; and maintenance and housekeeping failures included an opened window within a couple of feet of an operating room table, a hole in an operating room wall, dirty floors, stained ceiling tiles and peeling paint. State investigators began finding rules violations during licensing inspections in February 1996, the complaint says. They found 17 infractions on October 3, 1996, when DHR told the abortion facility it would be fined $25,000. Then, after three more visits early in 1997, the state issued a 60-page statement of deficiencies, revealing "a startling array of severe rule violations which have a direct adverse impact on patient care." In further visits, abortion mill employees refused to allow inspectors to review part of its operations and to provide some records, DHR alleged. The state told the abortion facility on March 9 that it would revoke its permit, and returned March 14, accompanied by a warrant and sheriff's deputies, and again on April 6 in response to complaints. The state found "a continuing, shocking disregard for the welfare" of patients. On April 21, the abortion mill sent the state its compliance plan. But a follow-up tour May 5 found continued problems, the state says. The abortion facility performed more abortions than any other facility in Georgia — 7,465 in 1996, including second trimester abortions, said DHR spokeswoman Fran Buchanan.
On May 22, 1998, Midtown Hospital was temporarily closed by a Superior Court judge pending the outcome of litigation to shut it down permanently.
Paragraph 2 of the Verified Complaint for Injunctive Relief, filed May 20, 1998, reads as follows: "Inspections of Midtown Hospital by DHR staff, interviews with current and former employees of Midtown Hospital, and interviews with women who have been patients at Midtown Hospital reveal an overcrowded, understaffed and dirty health care facility that jeopardizes the health and safety of its patients. For example, overcrowding and lack of proper monitoring of patients results in the expulsion of fetuses on the floor and in the commode of the preoperative area; Midtown Hospital's sterilization process to prevent the spread of infection is severely deficient; Midtown Hospital's personnel files lack any evidence that many of its employees are qualified for their jobs; and Midtown Hospital lacks any system for identifying, documenting, or evaluating unexpected or negative patient outcomes. DHR staff has consistently found that Midtown Hospital's records lack information regarding transfer of patients to other facilities due to complications arising during or after surgical procedures performed at Midtown Hospital."
The brief supporting the Motion states that "It is Midtown Hospital's practice to administer the oral medication Cytotec and intravenous Pitocin, which induce labor, to second trimester patients early in the morning on the day of the surgical procedure. ... The patients then sit in the pre-operative room until their surgical procedure. ... Thus, Midtown Hospital lacks a system to assure a relationship between the time of the administration of the labor-inducing medications and the time of the surgical procedure."
According to the Affidavit of "Employee A," employed at Midtown Hospital from November 1996 to February 1998, "The preoperative room is located near the room where I was stationed. I could hear the patients hollering and screaming in the preoperative room. ... I saw patients laying on the floor crying in pain. ... I routinely saw patients expel fetuses on the floor and in the commode in the preoperative room. Patients expelled fetuses in front of other patients that were awaiting procedures. Patients expelled fetuses in commodes that were used by other patients. ... I regularly observed patients expel fetuses in the commode in the discharge area. ... Oftentimes, I was the only staff member in that area to assist patients. I do not have medical training."
Employee B is a certified surgical technician, employed at Midtown Hospital from March 30, 1998 until resigning on April 18, 1998, just three weeks later. This employee's affidavit provides a similarly chilling description of Midtown's patient care: "On April 18, 1998, at approximately 7:00 a.m., I witnessed a patient deliver an intact fetus in the toilet of a bathroom in the waiting room area. After expelling the baby and the afterbirth, the patient walked to the operating room because there were no wheelchairs. I opened the fetal sac so that the fetus could be weighed. The weight was approximately 3029 grams [over 6 pounds, 10 ounces!]. It was a very big fetus. My impression is that at Midtown Hospital a procedure will be done at any gestational age as long as the patient has the money. I witnessed patients frequently expelling fetuses on the floor and in the toilet. It happened frequently throughout each day the abortion procedures were done. ... Women are allowed to expel fetuses whenever and wherever with no concern for the patient. When I would attempt to comfort the women, I was told that this was not my job. ... I never saw the doctors or the anesthesiologist do any pre-operative work-ups on the patients prior to the patients going into the operating room. ... Sterilization standards are not followed. ... Most women lay on the floor in the pre-op area. Once I attempted to get some sterile sheets for the patients to lay on and was told by the Operating Room supervisor that if "they can lay up and get pregnant then they can come in here and deal with the procedure." I have witnessed the use of stretchers with blood and bodily fluids on them being re-used without being cleaned. The staff was not concerned about cleaning up blood and other bodily fluids from the floors, chairs, stretchers and bathrooms and did not do so."
The Affidavit of Patient X describes her experience on April 16, 1998. Following her abortion, she experienced "extreme pain ... nausea, vomiting and even more pain." This continued for several days. She called Midtown Hospital at least twice to speak to a doctor or nurse, but was told to make an appointment. Finally, she called 911 and was transported to a local hospital where they diagnosed an incomplete abortion. The Brief refers to other patients who were transferred to a hospital for "complications" occurring at Midtown.
Midtown was a member of the National Abortion Federation (NAF), received many referrals from Planned Parenthood referrals, and was advertised on the attractive Abortion Clinics Online Web site and the Web site for the National Coalition of Abortion Providers (NCAP).
Midtown's posting has this to say about the quality of its service: "Midtown Hospital has stood for quality healthcare since its founding in the early 1900s. ... In 1977, the focus of that outstanding care changed when Midtown Hospital became a women's medical facility offering a full spectrum of gynecological healthcare services and the tradition of unsurpassed excellence remained. ... Today, Midtown Hospital is a rare facility, providing the medical profession and patients with nationally-recognized programs in second trimester abortions for medical and genetic studies. ... Midtown is an invaluable resource to referring universities, hospitals and private physicians. ... Every abortion is overseen by a Board Certified pathologist. Whether a patient is treated as an out-patient or is admitted for an overnight stay, she receives experienced, professional care in a warm and comfortable environment. Although Midtown Hospital strives to maintain reasonable costs, the staff never cuts corners on laboratory tests, medical care, counseling, personal attention or follow-up care. Midtown Hospital is licensed by the State of Georgia. All physicians are Board Certified and all other medical staff are fully licensed. In addition, our staff is trained in and dedicated to meeting the personal, emotional and physical needs of our patients. It is in this spirit that we preserve the dignity of our patients and provide uncompromised medical care in an atmosphere of comfort and caring."
References: Steven Ertelt's Pro-Life Infonet at http://www.prolifeinfo.org/infonet.html, May 23, 1997; Atlanta Journal-Constitution, May 23, 1998; "Men Behaving Really Badly." Life Insight [publication of the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)]. October 1998 [Volume 9, Number 8].
Death Threats (100 incidents)
Neal Horsley is a nationally known anti-abortion activist who founded The Creator's Rights Party and created The Nuremberg Files Web site. He sued Geraldo Rivera because of statements Rivera made about Horsley during a live 1998 television interview on CNBC's "Upfront Tonight," conducted in the immediate aftermath of the October 1998 murder of abortionist Barnett Slepian.
On February 8, 2001, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Judge Jack T. Camp denied Rivera's "Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings" in the libel and slander lawsuit filed against him by Horsley.
Judge Camp explained why Geraldo Rivera had properly been accused of libel and slander — "Because Defendant repeatedly asserted and implied that Plaintiff was an accomplice to Dr. Slepian's murder, Plaintiff has properly stated a claim for libel and slander and Defendant's Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings is denied." The Civil Action number for this case is 3:99-CV-142-JTC.
In his opinion, Judge Camp went on to say "Soon after appearing in this interview, Plaintiff began receiving threatening emails and letters. Many of these messages contained death threats against Plaintiff and/or his family. One such letter purportedly contained the deadly anthrax virus. As a result of this specific letter, Plaintiff was hospitalized and treated by the hazardous materials unit. ... Plaintiff also contends that these defamatory statements set in motion a "chain of events that damaged the plaintiff, elicited hundreds of death threats ... cost him employment, and other damages that continue to accrue to this day."
Reference: United States District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Civil Action #3:99-CV-142-JTC.
Fatal Botched Abortion and Gross Malpractice
On June 11, 1979, 15-year-old Delores Smith was aborted at the Atlanta Women's Pavilion abortion mill. She was left unattended by a nurse-anesthetist who forgot to turn off her anesthesia when she went to attend to Angela Scott, who was dying from a botched abortion in another room. Smith went into cardiac arrest, but was kept at the abortion mill by a nurse who attempted to revive her with oxygen and intravenous fluid. The nurse refused to release Smith to an ambulance crew until the abortuary's doctor arrived for a full 30 minutes. Smith was hospitalized in a coma, and was believed to have overdosed on Brevital.
References: Atlanta Journal, June 27, 1979; Atlanta Constitution, June 28, 1979; Fulton County Superior Court Case #C-55530; Georgia Right to Life News, July 1979.
Malpractice
Abortionist Terry I. Feng performed a suction abortion on 25-year-old Maureen A. Bell, who immediately began experiencing severe pain. Feng noted "perf.?" on her chart, administered Fentanyl and released her three hours after the abortion without ruling out a perforation. Her pain increased and she was subsequently admitted to a hospital. She had suffered uterine and intestinal perforations resulting in massive abdominal infections. She had to have a temporary colostomy and is now unable to conceive.
At the Atlanta Women's Medical Center, where this abortion was botched, a 1989 inspection reveaded that all three on-call abortionists lacked evidence of a current Georgia license, current D.E.A. number, hospital admitting privileges, or evidence of board certification; the abortuary had no quality assurance mechanism; it possessed no copies of required Certificate of Abortion in 7 of 7 records reviewed; 8 of 9 records lacked patient identification on counseling and lab reports; its OR equipment was dusty; it had expired packages of dilators; it had filled, unlabeled syringes stored in OR cabinet; its CRNA lacked evidence of current license; and it practiced improper handling of infectious waste.
Reference: "Statement of Deficiencies and Plan of Correction," May 11, 1989; Jury Verdict Review, C2821.
Vandalism (3 incidents)
In July and August 1990, pro-abortionists vandalized a traveling pro-life sign on the lawn of Maranatha Baptist Church, and spray-painted "pro-choice" on the church itself. They had previously destroyed small crosses on the church lawn that represented aborted preborn babies.
Reference: Rob Johnson. "Anti-Abortion Display at Church Hit by Vandals." Atlanta Journal-Constitution, August 2, 1990, page J1.
Cartersville
Reckless Conduct
Kenneth McCoy pleaded guilty to reckless conduct stemming from a July 2000 incident when he jumped on his wife's stomach to induce an abortion. His wife, who wanted the baby very much, miscarried the same day, but Georgia's chief medical examiner, Kris Sperry, said the baby died of natural causes and not a crushed skull as the first report concluded.
In an August 13, 2001 letter to District Attorney Joe Campbell, Sperry said the baby "had been dead long before the assault that the mother purportedly received on the day the infant was delivered." Sperry said the baby was macerated, meaning the skin had peeled from the body, which takes at least a day or two after death in the womb. In addition, the bones of the skull were overlapping and the head was distorted. He said the medical examiner who performed the autopsy, Cameron Snider, interpreted that as a crushing skull fracture. "In reality, this distortion is due to relaxation and decomposition of the skin and soft tissues that support the bones of the skull," Sperry said.
Rape and aggravated assault charges against McCoy also were dropped. "The victim, Amanda McCoy, has recanted her previous statements to law enforcement and now maintains that it was an accident," a prosecutor said. "She has returned to North Carolina with no desire to prosecute the case further."
McCoy was sentenced to two years in jail and two years probation.
Reference: "Feticide Charges Against Husband are Dropped." Atlanta Journal-Constitution online at ajc.com, August 22, 2001.
Savannah
Grand Theft Auto
On August 22, 2001, 74-year old Pro-Life Andy Anderson woke up to find that a pro-abortionist had stolen his 1980 Buick LeSabre gone. The two-tone silver and blue car, plastered all over with pro-life bumperstickers, was stolen from his home near Daffin Park.
Only a fool would steal such a well-known car, Anderson said. "It would be funny, if it wasn't so tragic," Anderson said. "They would be foolish to be driving in that. Even a thief wouldn't drive around with a car that says "Hey, look at me"."
He said he didn't insure the car for theft because he didn't suspect anyone would take it. Anderson drove the car to anti-abortion rallies. Tourists posed next to it. Baby dolls in a crib used to grace the hood.
Andy suspects the thief is a pro-abort. "It was my big pro-life mobile," said Anderson, an Air Force retiree. "I know a lot who are glad it's off the street, at least for a while."
The police lookout is one of the most unusual descriptions dispatchers have heard. "It's different, that's for sure. It has more distinguishing marks than most that are stolen," said police dispatcher Nickie Stevens in a classic understatement.
Reference: Anne Hart. "Who Would Steal This Car?" Savannah Morning News, August 24, 2001.
Pro-Life Andy Anderson, a great pro-life hero of
our time, stands out wherever he goes. Here he is
at the 2004 National March for Life in Washington, D.C.
Thomaston
Murder and Suicide
Ryan Coppersmith had had enough of his domestic troubles, so he decided to kill his entire family, including his pregnant wife Angela Marie and their two children, a ten-year-old son and a five-year old daughter. On January 25, 2004, he began by cutting the telephone line to the house so nobody could call for help, and opened the natural gas line, filling the house with gas. Finally, he strangled his pregnant wife Angela Marie, then killed himself.
Fortunately, the couple's two children managed to escape their home and walked to a neighbor's house, where they called police.
A coroner's report showed that Angela Marie died of strangulation. Upson County Sheriff Don Peacock called the case a murder-suicide.
Reference: WMAZ-TV Television 13 News [Macon, Georgia], January 28, 2004.
Thomasville
Feticide, Kidnapping (4 Counts), Armed Robbery (2 Counts), Aggravated Assault, Aggravated Battery (2 Counts), Burglary (2 Counts), Felony Entering Auto, Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime (2 Counts), Possession of a Firearm by a Convicted Felon (2 Counts) and Probation Violation
During the early morning hours of June 11, 2005, Alfred Dusty Jones and Marcus Lee Samuel broke into the home of an 18-year-old woman in her second trimester of pregnancy, shot her in the abdomen and leg with a rifle, and stole jewelry and $2,800 in cash from the home. The bullet that struck her in the abdomen killed her preborn child.
Jones pled guilty to feticide, two counts of kidnapping, two counts of aggravated battery, burglary, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. Samuel pled guilty to two counts of kidnapping, two counts of armed robbery, burglary, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. He had previously been convicted of felony entering auto.
On June 19, 2005, Jones twice tried to kill himself. He first, he slashed his neck and left arm with a razor blade, and then swallowed a razor blade.
On March 22, 2006, Thomas County Superior Court Judge Harry Jay Altman sentenced Jones to forty years in prison and sentenced Samuel to thirty years in prison. Samuel said that "I was under the influence of alcohol and drugs. I wasn't thinking,"
Jones was on probation for a 2002 aggravated assault conviction during his 2005 crimes.
References: Patti Dozier. "Shooter in Feticide Gets 40 Years." Thomasville Times Enterprise, March 22, 2006.
Valdosta
False Imprisonment, Malpractice, Reckless Conduct (2 incidents) and Criminal Abortion (3 incidents)
During the evening of May 9, 2003, paramedics and police were called to abortionist Charles Rossmann's office, and found a 23-year-old local woman who had given birth to a male child. The police and paramedics had to force their way into the building to help the woman, and the newborn child was taken to Shands Hospital in Gainesville, Florida, and placed in a critical care unit. The mother was treated at South Georgia Medical Center.
The little baby died a few days after he was aborted.
She said that she requested Rossmann perform an abortion on her, and that she paid him in cash. She was 31 weeks pregnant at the time, and thought that the child might have Downs Syndrome.
After starting the third-trimester abortion, Rossmann provided the woman with contact information and then abandoned her in his office. He left the building and locked the doors.
Third-trimester abortions are heavily regulated in Georgia and are illegal unless there are health risks for the mother. State law requires that abortions after the first trimester be performed in a hospital or in a health facility listed as an abortion facility by the Department of Human Resources. For third trimester abortions the law reads: "No abortion is authorized or shall be performed after the second trimester unless the physician and two consulting physicians certify that the abortion is necessary in their best clinical judgment to preserve the life or health of the woman. If the product of the abortion is capable of meaningful or sustained life, medical aid then available must be rendered."
On May 15, 2003, the Georgia Medical Board revoked the abortionist's medical license soon after this incident, saying that Rossmann's "continued practice as a physician poses a threat to the public health, safety and welfare and imperatively require emergency action ..."
Police took out a warrant for Charles Rossmann on a charge of criminal abortion, Valdosta, Georgia Police Chief Frank Simons said. Police have yet to serve that warrant, however, as attempts to locate Rossmann were unsuccessful, because it appeared that he had skipped town.
All signs were removed from Rossmann's office, and a U-Haul moving van was parked in front of the building three days after the botched abortion incident. Rossmann's office phone was also disconnected, and he left no forwarding information. A Web site touting Rossmann's practice — which had contained pictures, narratives, phone numbers and lists of professional accreditations and achievements — was quickly stripped of virtually all information.
If convicted on a charge of criminal abortion, Rossmann could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine. He has practiced medicine in Valdosta since 1994. He has also practiced in South Dakota, Florida, Alabama and Indiana. Police also are investigating the possibility that Rossmann may have performed other illegal abortions, since other patients of Rossmann's, leveling similar allegations, have surfaced since the story went public on May 18. Their search for Rossmann is complicated by the fact that he may have changed his name several times in the past.
A few days later, two of Rossmann's abortion mill workers, Jenny Yates, 38, of Moultrie, and Charlene Mills, 20 were both charged with misdemeanor reckless conduct, and Mills faces a felony charge of false imprisonment.
Owens said the reckless conduct charges against Mills and Yates stem from "conduct of leaving someone behind without medical care after medications had been given to induce labor or the termination of pregnancy." Mills was charged with false imprisonment because police believe she was the last to leave the building and lock it while the mother was still inside.
Police also charged Rossmann with two additional counts of criminal abortion after two more women came forward with reports mirroring the original allegations, Owens said. Rossmann was also charged with four counts of having prescription medications out of their original containers.
Two months after he disappeared, the abortionist was still at large.
References: Bill Roberts. "Police, Medical Board Probe Birth." Valdosta Daily Times, May 18, 2003; "Police Investigate Botched Late-Term Abortion in Georgia." Steve Ertelt's Pro-Life Infonet at http://www.prolifeinfo.org, May 19, 2003; "Doctor in Botched Abortion Case Has License Suspended." Pro-Life Infonet, May 21, 2003; "Obstetrician Suspected of Botched Abortion." Associated Press, May 20, 2003; "Baby Survives Botched Late-Term Abortion Attempt in Georgia — Abortionist Closes Up Shop and Skips Town." Pro-Life Infonet, May 22, 2003; Associated Press, May 30, 2003; "Georgia Practitioner Who Botched Abortion Still Missing." Pro-Life Infonet, May 31, 2003; Bill Roberts. "Abortion Doctor Still Missing." Valdosta Daily Times, May 30, 2003; "More Charges Filed Against Georgia Abortion Practitioner." Valdosta Daily Times, June 6, 2003; Pro-Life Infonet, June 7, 2003; LifeSite Daily News at http://www.lifesite.net, July 26, 2003.
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| This document was updated on June 26, 2006. |
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