Bio 

James Charles Kopp was born on August 2, 1954, in Pasadena, California. He was raised Lutheran and later converted to Roman Catholicism. As an adult, he became deeply involved in anti-abortion activism and was associated with militant anti-abortion circles, including the group known as The Lambs of Christ.

Before the murder of Dr. Barnett Slepian, Kopp was already known among anti-abortion activists. He opposed abortion and became linked to extremist activity targeting doctors who provided abortion services. He later used aliases while purchasing weapons and while avoiding law enforcement after the shooting.

Kopp’s activism became increasingly focused on direct action against abortion providers. Federal authorities later considered the killing of Dr. Slepian to be connected to Slepian’s work providing reproductive health services. Kopp was also investigated as a suspect in several nonfatal shootings of abortion providers in Canada and western New York during the 1990s, although those cases did not result in the same type of conviction as the Slepian murder.

Murder Story

On October 23, 1998, Dr. Barnett Slepian, a 52-year-old obstetrician-gynecologist, returned to his home in Amherst, New York, with his family. Dr. Slepian performed abortions at a women’s clinic in Buffalo and had been the target of anti-abortion protests for years.

At about 10:00 p.m., Slepian was standing in his kitchen when James Charles Kopp fired a single rifle shot from a concealed position outside the home. The bullet passed through a rear window and struck Slepian. His wife and children were inside the house at the time. Slepian died from the gunshot wound.

After the killing, Kopp fled the United States. He traveled through Mexico, Ireland, and France while using false identities. On June 7, 1999, the FBI added him to its Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list as the 455th person placed on the list. He remained a fugitive until French authorities arrested him in Dinan, Brittany, on March 29, 2001.

The United States sought his extradition, but French law required assurances that he would not face the death penalty. After legal proceedings in France, Kopp was returned to the United States in June 2002.

Kopp later admitted that he fired the shot but claimed that he intended only to wound Dr. Slepian. Prosecutors argued that the planning, weapon choice, and sniper-style shooting showed premeditation. On March 18, 2003, Kopp was convicted of second-degree murder in New York. On May 9, 2003, he was sentenced to 25 years to life in prison.

Federal prosecutors later tried Kopp under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act. On January 25, 2007, he was convicted of violating the FACE Act by using deadly force against a doctor because the doctor provided abortion services. On June 20, 2007, he was sentenced to life imprisonment plus 10 years.