Killer DIES In Police Custody – Justice or Escape?

Police car lights flashing red and blue.

A decade after killing three people at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic, the gunman deemed too mentally unstable to face trial has died in federal custody, taking his case to the grave without ever receiving a formal verdict.

Quick Take

Robert Lewis Dear Jr. died November 22, 2025, at age 67 from natural causes while imprisoned at a federal medical facility in Springfield, Missouri
Dear was declared mentally incompetent to stand trial in May 2016, nine months after the November 27, 2015 shooting that killed three people and injured nine others
A federal grand jury indicted Dear on 68 counts in December 2019, including 65 violations of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and three counts of murder with a firearm
Dear’s death denies victims’ families and the Colorado Springs community the opportunity for full judicial proceedings and formal legal accountability through trial
The case raises critical questions about mental health competency determinations in ideologically motivated violence and the balance between accountability and psychiatric considerations

The Shooting That Changed Colorado Springs

On November 27, 2015, Robert Lewis Dear Jr. walked into a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs and opened fire. The 57-year-old from North Carolina had asked police for directions to the facility before launching his attack. Law enforcement responded to an active shooter situation at approximately 11:38 a.m. Mountain Standard Time. A five-hour standoff ensued before Dear surrendered to SWAT teams at 4:52 p.m. The rampage left three dead and nine wounded, fundamentally altering the lives of victims’ families and reshaping security protocols at reproductive healthcare facilities nationwide.

Three people lost their lives that day. Garrett Swasey, a 44-year-old University of Colorado Colorado Springs police officer, died in the line of duty responding to the emergency. Ke’Arre M. Stewart, a 29-year-old Army veteran and father of two who had served in Iraq, was killed after running back into the clinic to warn others. Jennifer Markovsky, a 35-year-old mother of two visiting from Hawaii, died accompanying a friend to the clinic. Their deaths represented far more than statistics in a crime report; they were irreplaceable losses to families and a community forever changed by one man’s ideological rage.

Mental Illness and Ideological Violence

Dear identified himself as “a warrior for the babies” and made statements referencing “No more baby parts,” language connected to controversial 2015 Planned Parenthood undercover videos. His former wife described him as deeply religious but conflicted. Despite his explicit anti-abortion ideology and statements affirming responsibility for the shooting at court appearances, a Colorado state court determined in May 2016 that Dear was mentally incompetent to face trial. This determination meant he could not adequately participate in his own defense or understand the proceedings against him, removing him from traditional criminal justice processes.

The incompetency ruling created a legal paradox. Here was a man who had committed mass murder, expressed his motivations clearly, and made statements accepting responsibility, yet the mental health system determined he could not stand trial. Dear was transferred to the Colorado State Mental Health Institute in Pueblo, Colorado, where he remained until being moved to federal custody. This outcome satisfied neither the demands of justice nor the expectations of accountability that victims’ families deserved.

Federal Prosecution and Unfinished Business

Federal prosecutors maintained jurisdiction over the case. In early December 2019, a federal grand jury issued a 68-count indictment against Dear, including 65 counts of violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act and three counts of using a firearm to commit murder. The FACE Act represents federal commitment to prosecuting violence against abortion providers and clinics. However, the mental incompetency determination complicated federal proceedings as well. Dear remained detained at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri, where he spent his final years in medical custody rather than facing trial.

A Decade Later: Justice Denied

On November 22, 2025, exactly ten days before the tenth anniversary of the shooting, Robert Lewis Dear Jr. died of natural causes at age 67. The Federal Bureau of Prisons announced his death three days later. The timing proved bitterly ironic for victims’ families. Federal prosecutors issued a stark statement: “All three victims, and this community, deserved the full measure of justice in this case but they are now denied that possibility.” Dear died with a 68-count federal indictment outstanding, never having faced a jury, never having entered a formal plea, and never having received a judicial determination of guilt or innocence in the traditional sense.

The case represents a rare legal outcome where a defendant charged with mass murder dies in custody without trial resolution. While Dear’s statements at court appearances and his explicit anti-abortion ideology left little doubt about his actions and motivations, the formal legal record remains incomplete. Victims’ families were denied the opportunity to present evidence, hear testimony, confront their loved ones’ killer in court, and witness a jury render a verdict. The closure that comes from public trial proceedings will never arrive for them.

Questions That Remain Unanswered

Dear’s death raises uncomfortable questions about mental health competency determinations in cases involving ideologically motivated violence. Should a defendant who clearly understands his actions and their political significance be deemed too mentally incompetent to stand trial? Does the mental health system inadvertently shield violent extremists from accountability? The case offers no definitive answers, only the uncomfortable reality that a man who killed three people and wounded nine others will be remembered primarily for his mental illness rather than for formal legal accountability.

Security measures implemented after the shooting remain in place. Additional law enforcement personnel were assigned to Planned Parenthood clinics in New York City and Denver as precautionary responses. The discovery of propane tanks near Dear’s vehicle suggested he had planned an even larger attack. The incident contributed to ongoing national discussions about clinic security, extremist violence, and the appropriate balance between mental health considerations and criminal accountability. These conversations continue without resolution, much like the case itself.