Sniper_ The True Story Of Anti-Abortion Killer James Kopp Part 12

"For the first time in my life," he continued, "I feel that Jesus wants me to have a wife and kids."

Jim had felt affection towards Amy for a long time. Perhaps he never revered her in the same way as he did Loretta, but Jim was attracted to Amy and admired her. Jim likened Amy to Mother Teresa. Both women were gentle, saintly, on the surface, but underneath were also tough as nails. Jim loved that about her. Amy called herself a tough farm girl. Jim knew the feminists would hear that and miss the point. She was delivering calves with her bare hands when she was ten, he liked to say. You could find her in the dead of winter up on a friend's roof fixing a hole. That's the kind of woman she was. He took a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Susan. It was from a magazine, a picture of an engagement ring.

"You're thinking, 'Jim is crazy, he's finally lost it,' and I understand that," he said. "But I need you to do this for me. I need you to find this ring, have it blessed, and then call Amy's father, ask him for permission."

"Permission? Jim, her father is going to give his blessing for his daughter, who has cancer, to marry a man who is accused of murder, who's been gone two and a half years? It's insane!"

"I know, I-"

"Look, I'll ask her, but not her father."

"No-no-no, just ask him, just say, 'Mr. Boissonneault, if Amy didn't have cancer, and if Jim wasn't in jail accused of murder, would you allow him to date Amy?' And if he says no, then don't ask her. I'll just pray. I'm meant to wait. But if the answer is yes, can you find her, bring her over here to me?"

Susan left the jail that night, thoughts swirling, caught between what her heart and her mind were telling her. Her heart won out. Back at the hotel, she spoke to Amanda Robb. Jim had not killed her uncle, Susan was sure of it. And Jim was about to become engaged.

"Jesus is going to work a miracle," Susan said. "I just know they're gonna get married and have babies."

Amanda couldn't believe what she was hearing.

The next day, Bart Slepian's niece was introduced to Jim Kopp. She expected to meet him in a room divided by Plexiglas. But in the Rennes jail they sat in a private room, only a wooden table separating them. Jim carried a Bible with him. Amanda, a writer, soaked up the atmosphere, took the measure of this man Kopp, made mental notes. He was tall, lean. Baby-blue eyes. Handsome? Yes, she decided, maybe even shockingly handsome. He offered his hand. "Hi, I'm Jim," he said.

She shook his hand and quietly muttered, "Amanda."

Amanda later wrote an article about the meeting, and her quest to find Kopp, and sold it to New York Magazine. It ran under the headline "The Doctor, The Niece And The Killer." She wrote: "There was a long silence, and to fill it I told Jim two people had sent their love to him via me. The instant I mentioned the second person's name, Jim curled into a fetal position and sobbed ... Eventually he choked out that he thought this person hated him. He pulled himself together, saying, "If you wait long enough, everything in life comes back to you." Then he started rambling ... His narrative was a tangle of strands about victim souls, abortion, his "calling" to stop it, his destiny, my uncle's murder, and fleeting mentions of his "fiancee." "I didn't shoot your uncle," he said. "But I'm going to plead guilty and do the time-25 years straight up-because someone of my religion did." This hung heavily in the air. I worried I was going to throw up. As I felt my face twitching, Jim smiled beatifically and changed the subject to movies. He suggested I watch Pay It Forward, which he said was the story of his life ... He then urged me to see There's Something About Mary and quietly added that I looked like Cameron Diaz ... It suddenly dawned on me that my uncle's killer was flirting with me."

Amanda Robb told Jim she wanted to understand him, asked if she could write to him. He agreed. A guard entered the room to escort him back to his cell. He handed Amanda a Bible. Inside, he had written "To Mandy." Only her family had ever called her by that nickname, she reflected.

Before leaving Rennes, Susan Brindle spoke to Jim about Amy one more time. Amazing thing. Susan had called home and spoken to her sister about Jim's proposal to marry Amy. And her sister Joan said that out of the blue Amy had called, said she was coming to town, would stop in to say hi. Susan relayed the story to Jim and he smiled. G.o.d was directing everything! Susan finally said goodbye to Jim. She took the train back to Paris. That night she searched for the ring Jim had requested, went store to store for several hours, until, late in the evening, she found a small jeweler who had it. She bought the ring and took it to Notre Dame Cathedral to get it blessed. No priest was available, so she returned the next morning to early ma.s.s and got the ring blessed. Then she caught her flight to New York. Susan called Amy's father early the next day. He knew she had been in France visiting Jim Kopp. "How are you, Susan? And how was Jim?"

Susan got around to asking. "Mr. Boissonneault, can I ask you a really strange question? If Amy didn't have cancer, and Jim wasn't in jail, would you ever allow him to ask her out? I just need to know."

"Kind of an odd question, don't you think?" he said. "I know, I know. But I need to know."

"It's not really up to me. It's up to Amy."

"Thank you. And G.o.d bless."

Susan went and saw Amy, who was visiting Joan's home. They walked in the backyard past a statue of the Blessed Mother. "How is Jim?" asked Amy. "Does he talk about his friends?" "He does. He talks about you."

"Me?"

"He talks about you, he really cares about you."

"What are you talking about?"

"He loves you, Amy."

Amy stared at her, bewildered. "What? Jim? I always-I always thought of him like a priest, in a way. Never thought of him in that way."

Susan smiled. That was how she had always felt about him, too. "Jim did say that you went on a date once," she said.

"A d ate ? "

"Yes, to an antique store or something."

"That wasn't a date!"

"Well, Jim doesn't go out alone with girls, and you two were alone. To him it was a date."

Amy was shocked. She didn't know what to say. Susan drew the engagement ring out of her pocket.

"Jim asked me, Amy, to ask you to marry him."

Amy started to cry. Susan did too. "You can tell him to ask me in person when I see him in France."

It was all too much. But miracles happen, right? Maybe Amy would get better, and Jim would get out of jail, and-and they could get married, maybe even live in France. But Amy was dying, they had no future, did they?

Susan, Amy, and Susan's daughter flew to France and visited Jim in the Rennes prison. They met as a group, then Amy and Jim met privately. The women left the jail and walked outside its walls to a specific spot Jim had told them about. Just stand there and listen, he had said. It was dark. They could barely hear, but were sure they could make something out.

G.o.d bless him. He was singing hymns.

Susan felt Jim had a beautiful voice. Not everyone was a fan- his singing drove his cellmates crazy. He had shared a cell with a Brit who was being extradited. They got along at first, but after a while he asked to be moved because Kopp sang his hymns, loudly, at three or four o'clock in morning. Amy made one last visit to see Jim. He did not propose to her. She asked him not to. She did not have much time to live, she was certain of that. Before they said goodbye, Jim elicited a promise from Amy. They would not tell anyone about their relations.h.i.+p, or what was said in private. They would take the secret with them to the grave.

Rennes, France Tuesday, May 8, 2001 On May 8, the U.S. Justice Department formally submitted a request to the French government for the extradition of James Charles Kopp. A deadline was set for the end of the month for the French courts to decide the matter. Under the extradition treaty between the two countries, no one arrested in France for a crime committed in the United States could face a penalty harsher than a convict would face in France. As the deadline neared, American officials speaking for Attorney General John Ashcroft insisted that the death penalty remain an option should Kopp be found guilty of murder. This, even though the European Court of Human Rights had previously ruled that no individual could be extradited from any European country without a guarantee that capital punishment be taken off the table. The French Court of Appeal in Rennes would make the final decision on the matter.

Herve RouzaudLe Boeuf considered the situation an intriguing one. His client had broken no French law. Perhaps he might be charged with illegal entry to the country, using a false pa.s.sport and so on. Perhaps. Might get a couple of months in jail. After that? If the extradition failed, Mr. Kopp could stay in France or go elsewhere. No Western European country would send him back to the United States to face the death penalty. He could remain in legal limbo indefinitely.

Herve RouzaudLe Boeuf faced something of a dilemma. On the one hand he could hope that Ashcroft would agree to drop the death penalty. But that would mean extradition and a murder trial for his client, a possible life sentence. On the other hand, maybe it would be better if there was no deal at all. Then French justice would determine Kopp's fate. RouzaudLe Boeuf had many long talks with his client. The American was an engaging man, highly intelligent, but could be volatile at times, unpredictable. He talked of his family, his father. He told a fantastic story of how he ended up in France: he had learned that the Archbishop in Ireland was a h.o.m.os.e.xual, had started telling others about the fact, and some clergy urged Kopp to get out of the country. Yes, in their early conversations, Mr. Kopp seemed quite agitated, at times unbalanced.

The day neared when the Court of Appeal in Rennes would make its extradition decision. RouzaudLe Boeuf received a phone call. He should appear in court immediately. There he was handed the faxed letter. It was from the U.S. emba.s.sy in Paris. The Americans would not seek the death penalty for James Charles Kopp. RouzaudLe Boeuf smiled. His client was going to live. Of course, the Americans had little choice. They could not risk losing Kopp altogether. And, if Kopp was innocent, as his lawyer strongly believed, then he would be ultimately acquitted. How might Kopp fare in New York? He had retained a high-profile Buffalo defense lawyer named Paul Cambria. He would of course still need to navigate the American legal system and its sideshows-the media frenzy, the money, courtroom histrionics, plea bargains. In America, RouzaudLe Boeuf reflected, innocent men sometimes end up in prison, admit to crimes they did not commit.

There was something else that worried him. There was a signature missing on the letter from the U.S. emba.s.sy-Ashcroft's. It should be there, he thought. This was an important case, shouldn't the attorney general himself make the decision? Now, on the other hand, it was unthinkable that top American officials would renege on such a promise. It would be a gross violation of international law. But there was still that risk, however small. On June 7, RouzaudLe Boeuf got what he was looking for-a public statement from Ashcroft on the extradition agreement: James Charles Kopp committed a heinous crime that deserves severe punishment. We need to send a strong message that, no matter what our differences are, violence is not the solution. The FACE laws were created to ensure that violence against individuals providing legally available health services is not tolerated and will carry a stiff penalty, and I intend to enforce those laws. Shortly after the arrest, the French government, pursuant to its law and practice, asked the United States to a.s.sure it that the death penalty will not be imposed or carried out. Nevertheless, I have been working to ensure the United States' ability to pursue strong punishment for this terrible crime. I wanted to make sure that our nation would not be constrained by limits placed on Kopp's extradition by France, preventing us from seeking punishment outlined by our laws and our Const.i.tution, such as the death penalty. Unfortunately, in order to ensure that Kopp is not released from custody and is brought to justice in America, we have had to agree not to seek the death penalty. I share the sentiments of Dr. Slepian's widow, Lynne Slepian, that if the choice is between extraditing Kopp to face these serious charges in a United States court or risking his release by France, the priority must be Kopp's return.

On June 28, the Court of Appeals in Rennes ruled that Kopp should be extradited to the United States for trial. But to Jim the game was just beginning. He was a lawyer's son, after all. He decided to challenge the court's decision. If he could delay his return, all the better. And if the ruling was by some chance overturned, he could remain in Europe indefinitely. As for the death penalty, he didn't trust any of them back home, not even the pro-life conservative Ashcroft, whose hands were surely tied on the matter. The abortion industry was bigger than any one man. They all wanted him to suffer. The Edgars were no doubt putting the full-court press on anyone he had ever known or loved back home, he thought. No, once the Americans got him back home, all bets were off. He was certain "The Government" would never cease trying to make an example of him. And that meant that a lethal injection might still await James C. Kopp.

Rennes,France Spring 2001 As Jim Kopp waited for the appeal court to rule, he wrote letters to family and friends. Now was his chance to explain the last two and a half years. Jim was certain the FBI had given his brother, Walter, who still lived in California, a rough ride. In his mind's eye he could see the men in dark suits and sungla.s.ses hounding his twin brother. "Yeah, uh, gee, Walt, we think you oughta cooperate-seems we found this stuff called DNA at the murder scene. James Kopp's DNA. Couldn't be anyone else's DNA. Well, unless of course the killer had a twin. You reading us here, partner? Jail is not a pleasant place to be, Walt ..."

He wrote Walter, protesting his innocence, defending his convictions: I have been framed. I guess I just wanted to make certain you knew there was no deal on the table and likely not to be with the way I have been drawn and quartered before I even got to court. They knew they didn't have to deal, not after the job they have done on me ... I don't blame you one bit if you are upset and frustrated. Me too, you know. I didn't do this. But one thing I am guilty as h.e.l.l about is my religion and beliefs, especially pro-life. In that regard I'm no different from all the people being put in new graves in Israel and Beijing ... I know this is hard. You are suffering, through no fault of your own, for your brother's religion. Many people in Russia and China are dead over this. You are so kind to keep asking to help when all I gave you, via the movement, not via killing anybody, is grief. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it is my religion and belief that bother the powers that be. If I were not pro-life, they would have not gotten this far. Actually, they would never have thought of it. I would be no greater a suspect than you are ... My current lawyer, who I hope to keep, hates pre-trial publicity. But there is another set of lawyers out there who I have no control over who want to show the world about how I have been framed.

In another letter to Walt, he further developed his self-portrait as innocent fall guy: If I could name who shot Slepian, I would. But I do not know for certain. I suspect I'm in trouble because I can make a good guess. But it's nothing they don't already know. Even if the FBI knew I did not do it, it's too late for them to change horses and stick the blame on someone else. Do not to be ashamed is my word. I would think that's good enough. But most people only believe what they read in the newspaper.

He wrote a long letter to Susan Brindle, intended as a message for all his friends to see-and he knew the Edgars would be reading it at their leisure, too: The Peace of the Lord be always with you, but especially today!

I don't like writing generic letters, i.e. letters intended for more than one person, but I am out of paper and stamps, and so many people have written. Also, it is tedious to repeat things, to the point where I don't repeat them, and even good friends, as a result, are clueless.

As I told the extradition judge here, I am innocent of this terrible thing, and I desire to enter an American court as soon as possible to clear my name. Any delays toward that goal are procedural in terms of the slow grinding of the wheels of justice. Some advantage accrues to my defense lawyers in that they can prepare a defense.

Preparing a defense in this sense does not mean merely establish my alibi and things like that, things I could have attempted two and a half years ago. "Preparing a defense" means becoming familiar with the bizarre twists against me. For example, you would think that hair or carpet fiber appearing in a forest is laughable enough, and not hardly worth refuting, especially as both appear in connection with the stealing of my car from an airport parking lot. But suppose other defects appear in the hair itself; and you can get the hair omitted by pointing this out? Do you see what I mean? These are the sorts of decisions Mr. Cambria (my lawyer) must face. All of this stuff has to be evaluated on its merits, even if its appearance is ludicrous.

Why did I run away if I'm innocent? This is what everyone wants to know. The answer is a person, not a thing or an idea. The person is Maurice Lewis, R.I.P., who was poisoned in Canada in 1996, roughly.

Maurice's body was found in a truck parked on the side of the road. His body had lain there two days. The official cause of death is "no apparent cause" or trauma-nothing except that he was dead. The RCMP report indicated the presence of someone who cleaned up the death scene before the RCMP got there (Royal Canadian Mounted Police-like CHPs, or State Troopers in the United States). Why do we know this? The RCMP makes no reference to any wrappers, papers, soda cans or bottles or bags that one would a.s.sociate with eating a snack. The only people I know with no food wrappers in their cars are people who only eat in restaurants on long drives. Maurice Lewis was not such a person. All prolifers eat cheap so they can save money to pay for the expenses of pregnant women, which Maurice Lewis did do.

I spent six weeks alone with Maurice in a strip cell in Rome, when we were beaten. I know about him. So, the death of Maurice weighed on my mind in Fall 1998, when the first news of the FBI seeking me as a witness came on the news (i.e. if that's how they treated Maurice, what about me?). Then there was the matter of the 1985 San Francisco trial against me for charges of a.s.sault with a deadly weapon. I was acquitted, but what a pain! I was not interested in repeating that experience.

Then there were outstanding warrants in a jurisdiction where I had just finished suing (unsuccessfully) the warden, who, (before I sued him) had murdered two inmates, crus.h.i.+ng them to death in a trash compactor during an escape attempt. (Don't worry, he won't sue me for libel, this is an open fact demonstrated in court-the prosecution merely needed an eyewitness.) So let's review the bidding, as Nancy Kopp would say: a) Maurice Lewis; b) San Francisco, AWDW (i.e. I have already been charged with things I didn't do); c) Pittsburgh warrants (exposure: 4 years.) Even so, when I heard I was wanted for questioning, I tried to turn myself in through a Vermont lawyer, Dan Lynch ... and lo and behold when I called an intermediary, Dan had become a judge. This gave me pause. (Can you turn yourself in to a judge?) Sounded awfully ex parte to me.

So, the run theory prevailed. If I had it all to do over again, I probably would not have run away. But that's hindsight.

If the above does not make sense, please ask any veteran rescuer, any veteran object of U.S. lawsuits, or for that matter (esp. about Maurice...) anyone familiar with Mena witness murders (New American Spectator), (No I am not a conspiracy theorist... yet).

My spirits are good. I look forward to a vigorous defense. My eyes are on G.o.d, I am looking to Him to free me. I am tired of running. The evangelical chaplain here gave me a tape of hymns by 2nd Chapter of Acts. Here is my favorite: I'll be free at last, to lay it all down/Free at last to wear my crown And the sun will never rise again/For he will be my light My heart will never never never/Break His heart again.

I pray for you all. Please write, don't be afraid. Send it unsigned through a lawyer if you wish. I'll figure out who you are. G.o.d bless you.

Please remember my chains, Jim Remember my chains. It was a quote from St. Paul's letter to the Colossians, 4:18.

Chapter 21 ~ "A Pro-life Scalp".

Buffalo, N.Y.

Summer 2001 Buffalo lawyer Paul Cambria Jr. had a national reputation. He had defended the right to free speech for clients such as p.o.r.n king Larry Flynt and shock rocker Marilyn Manson. At 54, he had practiced law for nearly 30 years. He contributed regularly to a website devoted to legal questions regarding p.o.r.nography and free speech. He rode a Harley, was once featured on the cover of Rolling Stone. The press loved him. He once admitted that he wanted to be on O. J. Simpson's legal Dream Team "in the worst way," and quipped he was relieved he wasn't hired to defend Timothy McVeigh because his skills might have got the Oklahoma City bomber acquitted.

Once Cambria took the case of James C. Kopp, the buzz began. He was very good, but some of Jim's friends felt he needed a committed pro-life attorney, someone to make the philosophical points. Others, like Susan Brindle, thought Cambria, who was not known as a pro-lifer, was perfect. Morality, abortion, religion-that was not Cambria's game, and that was not at issue in Jim Kopp's case, or at least shouldn't be. Cambria would have credibility with a jury. He could stand up there and say: "I am pro-choice, I lament the death of Dr. Slepian. But Mr. Kopp did not pull the trigger." In addition, Cambria would be expensive, very expensive. But donations from pro-life supporters were coming in. Susan told Jim, whatever it costs, they would raise the money, because that's how much they believed in his innocence.

Meanwhile, controversy over Jim's case raged online. His supporters charged that the FBI had fabricated evidence to deliver a pro-life scapegoat for pro-choice forces in Was.h.i.+ngton.

"Regardless of whether Jim Kopp actually committed this crime or not," wrote one commentator, "the Clinton-Reno Department of Justice was going to have a pro-life scalp and [image]Jim Kopp's lawyer, Paul Cambria Jr.

his was as good as any. In a nation governed by amoral people who see the judicial system as an instrument of politics rather than justice, that's just the way the game is played."

It didn't add up, did it? Jim had friends all over the country, and no one had ever seen any sign he was capable of shooting anyone. He never talked about it. If anything he seemed destined to be a priest. That FBI mug shot, it didn't even look like Jim. Physical evidence? The police can't find the rifle used to shoot Slepian, yet finger Kopp for the murder anyway. Then, more than five months later-presto-they find not only the rifle but hair fibers supposedly linked to Kopp all over the place. It was all there: planted evidence; unlikely killer; biased law enforcement. It all had echoes of the O. J. Simpson case. A lawyer of Cambria's caliber would make hay with the inconsistencies.

The charge against Loretta Marra and Dennis Malvasi was upgraded from conspiracy to harbor a known fugitive to a more serious charge of obstruction of justice. In the summer of 2001 they applied to be released on bail. Their trial had been moved from Brooklyn, in the Eastern District of the State of New York, to Buffalo, in the Western District. Malvasi had a Buffalo courtappointed lawyer named Thomas Eoannou representing him. Marra retained a Long Island lawyer named Bruce Barket, who had defended pro-life clients in the past.

Barket was a stocky 42-year-old devout Catholic with dark hair and an olive complexion that reflected his LebaneseItalian heritage. He had once stopped practicing law to study for the priesthood, but returned to his job and made a considerable reputation defending the underdog. He won the New York State a.s.sociation of Criminal Defense Lawyers Gideon Award, for representing people who could not afford to pay. Barket disdained the description "pro-life lawyer," but he made no secret of his beliefs, or of the fact that he wanted to add the notion of protection of the fetus to the quilt of American civil rights.

Barket had fought some controversial cases. He continued to represent Amy Fisher, who had made headlines in 1992 as a 17-year-old high school student who had an affair with a married man and wound up shooting his wife in the head, nearly killing her. Dubbed the Long Island Lolita by the tabloids, Fisher pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 5 to 15 years in prison. In 1998, she claimed she had had a steamy affair with her first lawyer-prior to Barket taking over her defense-and that he had forced her into copping the plea to avoid the tryst being revealed. "What took place," Barket said after becoming her lawyer, "is sad and despicable." In 1999, Fisher launched a $220-million lawsuit against five corrections officers who she alleged had raped her. She later dropped the suit. The judge said that her lawsuit "read more like a cheap dime-store novel or a script for a tabloid television show than a pleading in a federal lawsuit." Barket had earlier requested a new criminal trial for Fisher, claiming that the district attorney handling the case had made plea-bargain promises that were not kept. It would not be the last time that Bruce Barket argued that he had been misled by a prosecutor in a plea bargain.

Loretta Marra wrote a letter to the presiding judge, Richard Arcara, arguing for her release on bail. She said she was no flight risk. All of her friends were known to the FBI in any case, she had nowhere to go even if she wanted to, and two little boys she needed to care for, one of which she was still nursing at the time of her arrest.

"I don't mind being incarcerated," she wrote. "It has a lot in common with the monastic lifestyle, a lifestyle which holds tremendous appeal for me ... If you set bail, I will never give you cause to regret it, I will not flee. I swear this to you on my salvation. As a completely convinced Catholic there is no more binding oath I could possibly conceive. I have hesitated for days to write this, so much does the oath terrify me to take it. I will die rather than break it. Thank you and G.o.d Bless You."

The judge denied her bail.

In Buffalo Paul Cambria spoke to the media about his client's continued fight against extradition from France to the United States for trial. "Ultimately," Cambria said, "I want him back here, and he wants to come back here to fight these charges. But his French attorney has been telling him to keep fighting extradition." Early in October, the French court rejected Kopp's appeal. There was still one other appeal he could make, this time to the Superior Administrative Court in France. He filed that appeal, too. And then, several months later, he decided to abandon the fight.

In May 2002, Herve RouzaudLe Boeuf spoke at a news conference in Rennes, saying that his client intended to prove his innocence upon his return to the United States, and viewed the trial as a chance to clear his name. Why did Jim Kopp give up the extradition fight? There may have been reasons only he understood, but he was perhaps motivated by what was happening to Loretta. Could he use his extradition as a bargaining chip to free her? It ate him up thinking of Loretta in jail, denied bail, two young boys at home who needed their mother. At one point in the extradition delay, he floated an idea to U.S. Justice Department officials. Kopp said he would agree to return to the United States while secretly giving his consent to leave the death penalty on the table-putting his own life at risk-if the Americans would in turn let Loretta walk free. Surely the feds would jump at the opportunity. Loretta was small potatoes, he thought, it's Kopp they wanted on a gurney.

Was the suggestion genuine or was he playing another game?

Loretta, through Bruce Barket, urged Jim not to take such a drastic step. Was he that confident he would be acquitted of Bart Slepian's murder? Or was he putting on an act to impress Loretta? Friends of Jim's thought there was something else that may have prompted him to give up his extradition fight. An obituary had appeared in the St. Albans Messenger newspaper in February: ST. ALBANS/FAIRFAX-Amy Lynn Boissonneault, 35, of St. Albans, formerly of Fairfax, died peacefully of breast cancer on Monday evening, Feb. 18, 2002, at her home in St. Albans in the presence of her family and friends. Amy was an avid traveler and made many trips and pilgrimages across North America and Europe to include Italy, France and Ireland. She also enjoyed art, poetry, writing letters, summer sunsets at the lake, snowstorms, gardening, Jane Austen movies and New York City. Amy will be remembered for the things she treasured most. Her strong faith in Jesus Christ, her love of the church and its saints and her family and friends. She enriched the lives of so many with her inner beauty and contagious smile. Her love of life and dedication to others were an inspiration to all who knew and loved her. Memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be made in Amy's memory to Good Counsel, Hoboken, N.J., or to the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal.

Buffalo, N.Y.

Wednesday, June 5, 2002 The U.S. Department of Justice jet arrived from Paris and touched down at the Niagara Falls air force base. On board were several U.S. marshals, the Amherst chief of police, and James Charles Kopp. He returned facing two trials. The State of New York had charged him with murder in the second degree, reckless endangerment in the first degree, and criminal possession of a weapon in the third degree. The federal government charged him with using deadly force to interfere with the right to reproductive health services.

First he was taken to the federal courthouse in downtown Buffalo, escorted into the room by federal marshals and police. He was arraigned before magistrate Judge Hugh Scott on the federal charge. If found guilty, he faced a sentence of life in prison without parole. Paul Cambria filed a not-guilty plea on Kopp's behalf. Jim Kopp wore wire-rimmed gla.s.ses, a rumpled dress s.h.i.+rt, green work pants and navy canvas slip-on shoes. He had a rolled-up Magnificat magazine, the Catholic periodical, in his back pocket.

[image]Amherst Police Chief John Moslow, far left, and FBI officials address the media before James Kopp appears in court.

"Are you James Charles Kopp?" asked Scott.

"Yes, sir."

"Do you understand your right at this time to remain silent?" "Yes, sir."

Kopp didn't say anything else, but he had instantly made an impression with the media. How could this man be the infamous sniper? His was not the fierce face that had glared from the FBI most wanted poster. Reporters described his thick gla.s.ses and boyish face. A slight, meek, wisp of a man with a loopy grin. The public had a new picture of James C. Kopp. Perhaps he wanted it that way. Few could see the wiry forearms, large hands, the blue-gray eyes that seemed to grow darker when he was angry, or the six-foot frame that never looked quite that tall because of his hunched gait. And no one could see the intensity that burned within him.

Judge Scott remanded Kopp into custody. As the marshals escorted him out of the court, he noticed a friend in the gallery, a pro-lifer. "Joe! Hi, Joe!" Kopp said, grinning, before being led into an elevator and down to where more armed marshals waited in vans and jeeps and sedans.

Paul Cambria addressed reporters. "He's very upbeat-very much looking forward to the process." Cambria added that the trial would not be about abortion.

A reporter asked why Kopp had fled in the first place if he was innocent.

"It wasn't because he's guilty. You'll find that out as we begin to try the case. There is a very plausible and innocent explanation for his actions."

The next day he was arraigned in state court and pleaded not guilty to the charge of second-degree murder, which carried a maximum sentence of 25 years to life. Cambria promised the media the trial would be a dogfight. One legal a.n.a.lyst said the resourceful Cambria would "have a field day" picking out weaknesses in the prosecution's case, including why it took police five months to find the murder weapon, and challenge them to prove that Kopp had bought it. In effect, the defense lawyer would put the FBI and police themselves on trial. The a.n.a.lyst added that everyone was anxious to see Paul Cambria take on the top prosecutor in the Buffalo DA's office.