Paul Jennings Hill
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| Paul Hill | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | February 6, 1954 Miami, Florida |
| Died | September 3, 2003 (aged 49) Raiford, Florida |
| Charge(s) | Murder |
| Penalty | Lethal injection |
| Status | Deceased |
| Occupation | Minister (defrocked) |
| Parents | Oscar Jennings Hill, Louise Hill |
Paul Jennings Hill (February 6, 1954 – September 3, 2003) was the first person in the United States to be executed for murdering a doctor who performed abortions.
[edit] Early life
Paul Hill was born in Miami, Florida on February 6, 1954, to Oscar Jennings Hill, an airline pilot, and his wife Louise. Hill was raised in Coral Gables, where he was quiet and reserved, but not unpopular, in high school. He was charged with assault at the age of 17 by his father when his father attempted to get treatment for his son's drug problem.
Hill's religious conversion happened two years later in 1973, after walking home from working a construction job.[1] He enrolled in Belhaven College later that year.
[edit] Early career
Hill graduated from Belhaven College and Reformed Theological Seminary. Following his ordination in 1984, Hill became a minister affiliated with both the Presbyterian Church in America and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.
He was excommunicated in 1993 following a number of nationally televised appearances, in which he claimed to be the new national spokesperson for defensive action against abortionists, with connections to the Army of God.[2][3]
Though no longer employed as a pastor, Hill supported his family through an auto detailing franchise, largely through a network of new car dealerships and used car lots. However, his client base had diminished as he became more and more public with his crusade.
[edit] Crime and punishment
On July 29, 1994, Hill approached a Pensacola, Florida abortion clinic with which he was familiar. When he spotted clinic doctor John Britton and his bodyguard, James Barrett, outside, he shot them both at close range with a shotgun. In addition to the two killings, Hill seriously wounded Barrett's wife, Joan. He was arrested moments later.
On December 6, 1994, Hill was sentenced to death by lethal injection under Florida law.[4]
In a statement before his execution, Hill said that he felt no remorse for his actions, and that he expected "a great reward in Heaven". During his trial, the judge did not allow Hill to use an affirmative defense justification. Hill said he viewed the acts as defensive rather than retributive. Hill left behind a manuscript manifesto[5] which his backers promised him they would publish. That manifesto and his address to the jury that convicted him echoed the words of John Brown,[6] who had attempted to incite a violent insurrection to end slavery in the United States. Hill was not apologetic for the killings, and in his last words he encouraged others who believe abortion is an illegitimate use of lethal force to "do what you have to do to stop it".[4][7][8][9][10]
Hill died by lethal injection in Florida State Prison on September 3, 2003.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Turning From 'Weapon of the Spirit' to the Shotgun Washington Post, August 7, 1994
- ^ Who is Paul Hill?
- ^ Turning From 'Weapon of the Spirit' to the Shotgun By Kathy Sawyer Washington Post Sunday, August 7, 1994; Page A01
- ^ a b Paul Jennings Hill #873
- ^ "Mix My Blood with the Blood of the Unborn"
- ^ Mireya Navarro (November 4, 1994). "Jury Recommends Death Penalty for Abortion Foe Convicted in 2 Killings in Florida". The New York Times: p. A20. http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60C14FC3F5A0C778CDDA80994DC494D81.
- ^ The Authorized Paul Hill Website
- ^ "Hill lives in world of black and white" by Brett Norman from Pensacola News Journal (August 24, 2003)
- ^ Lone Gunners for Jesus: Letters to Paul J. Hill by Presbyterian writer and theonomist Gary North (critical response to Hill)
- ^ A letter to the editors of Credenda/Agenda magazine by Hill, with a critical response from Douglas Wilson
[edit] External links
- The Authorized Paul Hill website
- Inmate Release Information Detail - Inmate 459364. Florida Department of Corrections. (Retrieved on 2008-05-29.)
- Anti-Abortion Violence
