Paul Jennings Hill
| Paul Hill | |
|---|---|
 mug shot of Hill |
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| Born | February 6, 1954 Miami, Florida |
| Died | September 3, 2003 (aged 49) Starke, Florida |
| Cause | Execution by lethal injection |
| Charge(s) | Murder |
| Penalty | Death sentence |
| Status | Executed |
| Occupation | Minister (defrocked) |
| Spouse | Karen Demuth Hill |
| Parents | Oscar Jennings Hill, Louise Hill |
| Children | Justin, Gloria, and Joy Hill |
Paul Jennings Hill (February 6, 1954 – September 3, 2003) murdered Dr. John Britton and James Barrett in 1994. He was the first person in the United States to be executed for murdering a doctor who performed abortions.
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[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 well liked 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, soon after being sent to Military School.[1] He enrolled in Belhaven College later that year where he met his future wife, Karen Demuth, with whom he would have three children.
[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 abortion providers, with connections to the Army of God.[2][3]
[edit] Crime and punishment
On July 29, 1994, Hill approached a Pensacola, Florida abortion clinic, the Ladies Center, 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. Both Dr. Britton and James Barrett died. Hill also wounded Barrett's wife, June. Following the shots, Hill laid his shotgun on the ground and waited to be arrested.
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. On December 6, 1994, Hill was sentenced to death by lethal injection under Florida law.[4] His death warrant was signed nine years later by Governor Jeb Bush.
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". 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[dead link] 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.)
- 1954 births
- 2003 deaths
- 21st-century executions by the United States
- American people convicted of murder
- American Presbyterians
- American pro-life activists
- Anti-abortion violence in the United States
- Belhaven University alumni
- Christian terrorism
- Executed activists
- Executed American people
- Members of the clergy convicted of murder
- People convicted of murder by Florida
- People excommunicated by Christian churches
- People executed for murder
- People executed by Florida
- People executed by lethal injection
- People from Pensacola, Florida
- Perpetrators of religiously motivated violence in the United States
- Presbyterian ministers
- People from Coral Gables, Florida
