The man accused of killing three people and wounding nine in a shooting rampage at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs was told he faces charges including first-degree murder during his first court appearance on Monday.
Robert Lewis Dear, 57, appearing by video link from jail, spoke only to tell the judge he had no questions. There was no discussion of the suspect's motives during the brief hearing, and formal charges will be filed at a court appearance scheduled for Dec. 9.
Planned Parenthood has said reports that Dear told investigators "no more baby parts" after his arrest following Friday afternoon's deadly siege showed he was acting on an anti-abortion agenda.
For his court appearance by closed-circuit camera from the jail where he is being held without bond, Dear was flanked by Dan King of the Colorado public defender's office. King defended the Aurora, Colorado, movie massacre gunman, James Holmes.
The rampage blamed on Dear, a native of South Carolina, is believed to have been the first deadly attack on a U.S. abortion provider in six years. The Colorado Springs center has been targeted for protests by anti-abortion activists.
One police officer and two civilians died in the attack, which, according to newly emerging details, began just outside the building, adjacent to a shopping area on the northwest side of Colorado's second-largest city.
Planned Parenthood already was on heightened alert against threats of violence nationwide. Some affiliates said they would review their security measures further.