Legal analysts provide insight in Robert Dear case

Legal analysts provide insight on what could happen next in the case of suspected Planned Parenthood shooter, Robert Dear.

In court Wednesday, Dear heard the formal charges filed against him. While hearing his charges he shouted, “Did you add the babies that were supposed to be aborted that day?”

There were more than a dozen outbursts from Dear. A total of 179 felony counts were filed against Dear, including eight first-degree murder charges and 131 attempted first-degree murder charges.

At the beginning of the hearing, Dear said he’s guilty and did not need a trial.

“Those antics and those outburst in the courtroom are all going to be admissible in the trial. It’ll possibly be an admission of some sort that he’s guilty. Or it could be considered evidence of insanity or deranged or impaired mental condition,” said Patrick Mika, a criminal defense lawyer.

In court, Dear called himself a baby warrior and said he was “protecting the babies.” A district attorney tells us the outbursts could impact court proceedings.

“It could go one or two ways. One, the defense counsel gets frustrated with their client and finds it difficult to manage them through the process. Two, their reporting on those things could have some impact on the way the case is viewed,” said George Brauchler, a district attorney.

Inside the courtroom, Dear said he refuses to take any mental health evaluations.

“They want to take me, put me under psychotropic drugs, so that I can’t talk like the batman guy,” said Dear.

Mika says those comments could lead to Dear being evaluated.

“A judge that’s cautious, who views the information that took place in the courtroom, is going to maybe consider having him evaluated for his competency to determine whether he’s even fit to stand the trial,” said Mika.

Mika says there’s a possibility Dear could face domestic terrorism charges.

“His representations about his beliefs are the kinds of things that could get him charged with a domestic terrorism offense. One of the things he’s opposing is that his acts of violence were in support of changing a government policy towards abortion,” said Mika.

Dear is being represented by public defender Dan King, who also represented the Aurora theater movie shooter, James Holmes.

“Do you know who this lawyer is? He’s the lawyer for the batman shooter,” said Dear.

Brauchler worked as a prosecutor in the Holmes trial and says King is qualified in these types of cases.

“I sat across from Mr. King for months in court proceedings, he’s experienced he knows what he’s doing. There’s a very good chance this is going to end up before a jury,” said Brauchler.

The District Attorney’s office has not yet decided whether to pursue the death penalty.

“The judges are going to have some tough decisions to make, but these cases will drag on for months or possibly a year or two,” said Mika.

Dear’s next hearing is scheduled for Dec. 23.