The Latest: Clinic attack suspect was accused of sex assault

The Latest: Clinic attack suspect was accused of sex assault


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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — The latest on the shooting at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic (all times local):

9 p.m.

Police records show that the suspect in the deadly attack at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs was accused of sexually assaulting a woman in South Carolina in 1992.

Fifty-seven-year-old Robert Lewis Dear was arrested in North Charleston, South Carolina, on a charge of criminal sexual conduct after a woman said he put a knife to her neck, forced her into her apartment and sexually assaulted her after hitting her in the mouth. No records show how the case was ultimately handled.

Investigators said Dear told them he knew the woman and had consensual sex with her.

Little information about Dear's background has been released, and documents in the Colorado Springs case have been sealed.

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6:35 p.m.

The husband of one of three people killed in an attack at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs says his wife was a caring and compassionate person and a patient and understanding parent.

Paul Markovsky released a statement Monday, saying his wife, Jennifer, was deeply loved by everyone who knew her. He remembers her reading to their kids and helping them with their homework, and he says he will miss her cooking, crafting and adventurous spirit.

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6:10 p.m.

Authorities say the autopsies on three people who were killed at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs have been completed.

The El Paso County Coroner's Office said Monday that 35-year-old Jennifer Markovsky, 29-year-old Ke'Arre Marcell Stewart and 44-year-old Garrett Swasey each died from a gunshot wound. Their deaths have been ruled homicides.

Fifty-seven-year-old Robert Lewis Dear appeared in court Monday wearing a white, padded safety smock. He is being held on suspicion of murder.

Investigators have not released the names of the nine people who were injured in Friday's attack.

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2:20 p.m.

The district attorney in Colorado Springs says the man accused of killing three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic could be charged with crimes other than first-degree murder.

Fifty-seven-year-old Robert Lewis Dear is being held on suspicion of murder but prosecutor Dan May said Monday that other charges are still possible. He didn't elaborate.

Speaking after Dear's first court appearance, May also said that he has been in touch with federal prosecutors about the case but didn't say what they've been discussing.

Dear is scheduled to be charged Dec. 9.

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1:55 p.m.

The man accused of attacking a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs has made his first court appearance.

Fifty-seven-year-old Robert Lewis Dear appeared before a judge in a brief video hearing on Monday, standing next to public defender Daniel King. He's the same lawyer who represented Colorado theater shooting gunman James Holmes.

Dear wore a white vest and blinked periodically as the judge spoke to him. He did not speak much. He said "yes" twice when asked if he understood his rights and the first-degree murder charges he faces. He responded "no questions" when the judge asked if he had any about the charges.

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This item has been corrected to say that Dear spoke more than once.

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11 a.m.

Court records in South Carolina show a Peeping Tom charge against the suspect in Colorado's Planned Parenthood shooting was dismissed in 2002 on the same day the woman who made the accusation filed a restraining order against him.

Robert Lewis Dear was arrested in May 2002 when the woman said he looked into her home and put her in fear for her life. Court records show the charge was dismissed less than two months later. Colleton County Court administrator Pamala White said Monday a copy of the restraining order was no longer available because the county destroys them after 10 years.

The criminal court records give no other details about the case.

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10:35 a.m.

A judge has sealed court documents for a man accused of killing three people, including a police officer, at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs.

Acting at the request of prosecutors, Judge Stephen J. Sletta issued the order sealing the arrest warrant for 57-year-old Robert Lewis Dear and the search warrant for his home. The order was made available Monday after being issued Friday, the day of the attack.

Such documents detail evidence gathered by investigators that justify arresting suspects and searching property.

Prosecutors said making them public would jeopardize the ongoing investigation.

The judge agreed to keep the records sealed until the termination of the case or a further order of the court.

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7 a.m.

The man accused of opening fire at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs is set to make his first court appearance Monday.

Fifty-seven-year-old Robert Lewis Dear is scheduled to appear at 1:30 p.m. before a judge in a video hearing. He'll be advised of the charges that could be filed against him.

Dear is accused of killing a police officer and two civilians — an Iraq war veteran and a mother of two — who were accompanying separate friends to the clinic. The rampage touched off an hours-long standoff and shootout Friday that also left nine other people in the hospital.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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