The man responsible for a deadly attack on a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic that claimed three lives has died while in federal custody, bringing an unexpected conclusion to a complex legal case that spanned nearly a decade.
Fatal Attack on Reproductive Health Clinic
Robert Dear, aged 67, passed away on Saturday from natural causes at a medical centre for federal prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, according to the Bureau of Prisons. The 67-year-old had been charged in federal court in 2019 for the 2015 assault on the Colorado Springs clinic, which he targeted specifically because it provided abortion services.
Dear famously described himself as a "warrior for the babies" during court appearances. Federal prosecutors detailed how he arrived at the clinic heavily armed with multiple firearms, propane tanks, and approximately 500 rounds of ammunition. He initially shot outside the building before shooting his way through the entrance.
Victims Remembered and Legal Battles
The attack claimed three lives: Ke'Arre Stewart, a 29-year-old Army veteran who had served in Iraq and was father to two children; Jennifer Markovsky, 36, a mother of two who had grown up in Oahu, Hawaii; and Garrett Swasey, a campus police officer from a nearby college who responded to reports of an active shooter. Nine additional people sustained injuries during the violent incident.
Dear's prosecution became entangled in prolonged legal proceedings concerning his mental health. He had been repeatedly found incompetent to stand trial due to his diagnosis of delusional disorder. This prompted a significant legal dispute over whether authorities could medicate him against his will to restore his competency.
Last year, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit upheld a federal judge's 2022 ruling that permitted Dear to be forcibly medicated to make him fit for trial. His legal representatives had argued against this, contending that potential side effects could worsen his existing health conditions, including untreated high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Unresolved Justice
At the time of his death, Dear had been most recently civilly committed with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Fourth Judicial District Attorney Michael J. Allen, whose office had been attempting to prosecute Dear in state court, expressed disappointment that the case would never reach conclusion.
"All three victims, and this community, deserved the full measure of justice in this case but they are now denied that possibility," Allen stated following news of Dear's death.
The U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment on Tuesday when contacted about the development. The Associated Press reported leaving a voicemail with the federal public defender's office in Colorado seeking comment, but no response has been made public.
