November 01, 2017 - 11:42 AM
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - The Latest on a parole hearing for a Florida man convicted of killing an abortion doctor in 1993 (all times local):
2:35 p.m.
Florida's parole board says a man who shot and killed a doctor outside an abortion clinic in 1993 should not be released from prison for 25 more years.
The state's Commission on Offender Review on Wednesday set a March 9, 2043, release date for Michael Griffin, who shot Dr. David Gunn in the back on March 10, 1993, as Gunn arrived to work at an abortion clinic in Pensacola, Florida.
Griffin, who's serving a life sentence, was convicted of first-degree murder in 1994. This was the first time his case has come before the commission.
The commission also voted not to consider Griffin's case again until July 2024, which is the maximum time they can set. A state investigator had recommended a presumptive release date of April 9, 2018.
___
7 a.m.
A Florida man who killed an abortion doctor in 1993 will appear before the state's parole board on Wednesday.
Michael Griffin was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison after shooting Dr. David Gunn in March 1993. Gunn was shot as he arrived to perform abortions at a Pensacola, Florida, clinic while abortion opponents were holding a demonstration on the other side of the building.
Gunn's slaying marked the beginning of a wave of deadly anti-abortion violence. Griffin is serving his sentence at Blackwater River Correctional Facility in Milton.
The National Abortion Federation says there have been 11 killings, 26 attempted killings, 42 bombings and 186 arsons directed at abortion providers. Griffin said during a 2010 interview that abortion doctors should live in fear and terror.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017