JAMES CHARLES KOPP SENTENCED FOR MURDER OF DR. BARNETT SLEPIAN

BUFFALO, N.Y.--James Charles Kopp, 52, last known address in Jersey City, New Jersey, who was convicted after trial of violating the FACE ACT and use of a firearm to commit a crime of violence, on January 25, 2007, was sentenced to life imprisonment on Count One and a consecutive term of 10 years on Count Two by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Richard J. Arcara, U.S. Attorney Terrance P. Flynn of the Western District of New York announced today. In addition Kopp was ordered to pay restitution of $2,632,098 to Mrs. Lynne Slepian and to the New York Crime Victims Compensation Board.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathleen Mehltretter, who handled the case, stated that the defendant had been convicted of murdering Dr. Barnett Slepian because he provided abortion services and using a firearm to commit the murder. On October 23, 1998, at approximately 10:00 p.m., Dr. Barnett Slepian was killed as he stood in the kitchen of his East Amherst, New York home. He was shot by a single gunshot which entered his home through a rear window. The shot was fired from a wooded area behind the home. Dr. Slepian was an obstetrician-gynecologist who was one of the physicians performing abortions at the Buffalo GYN Women Services Clinic located at 2500 Main Street, Buffalo, New York. Dr. Slepian also maintained an obstetrics and gynecology practice at his office on Maple Road in Amherst, New York.

The restitution consists of lost wages of $2,620,770 (calculated based on a life expectancy for Dr. Slepian of 13 years and his average income prior to his death) and funeral and attorney expenses of $11, 328 incurred by the family of Dr. Slepian. The New York Crime Victims Compensation Board paid to Mrs. Slepian $36,000, which must be repaid by the defendant. Thus, Mrs. Slepian is the beneficiary of a restitution order of $2,584,770.

U.S. Attorney Flynn stated that the federal prosecution, which followed a prosecution and conviction of Kopp in New York State for Second Degree Murder, was necessary to ensure that Kopp spent the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of parole and to deter other persons from resorting to violence in support of an anti-abortion position. Kopp committed a heinous crime that deserved 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. "James Kopp took the life a well respected, dedicated and loved physician," said U.S. Attorney Flynn. "Justice has been served as he spends the remainder of his life behind bars. I am grateful to the dedicated officers, agents and prosecutors who doggedly pursued this case, and I thank them for the persistence and hard work that brought it to a close." Mr. Flynn noted that Kopp was a fugitive for two and one half years and that the investigation to locate Kopp spanned 18 cities in 15 states and 5 foreign countries.

One of the most vital roles the FBI plays is the enforcement of the Civil Right laws of the United States. This investigation is a good example of the enforcement of those laws stated Laurie Bennett, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Buffalo Office.

At the sentencing, Mrs. Slepian in a written statement, said "James Charles Kopp changed our lives forever. If it wasn't for my family, friends and the entire community, I'm sure I wouldn't be here today with the ability to stay strong and focused." Mrs. Slepian expressed her heartfelt thanks to the Amherst Police Department, the FBI, ATF, U.S. Attorney's Office, District Attorney's Office, U.S. Marshal Service and New York State Police, the federal and state victim witness personnel, the courthouse security, Scotland Yard, Irish National Police, Interpol, French National Police, and Dinan Police as well as the witnesses in both the state and federal trials.

In sentencing Kopp, Chief Judge Richard Arcara stated, "It is the Court's intent that you never be a free man again."

The conviction was the culmination of an investigation on the part of Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Laurie Bennett, the New York State Police and the Amherst Police Department working with the Erie County District Attorney's Office and the U.S. Attorney's Office.