Paul Jennings Hill
Rev.
Paul Jennings Hill (
February 6,
1954 â€"
September 3,
2003), was a
Presbyterian minister and anti-
abortion activist connected to the
Army of God, who was convicted of the murders of Dr. John Britton and his armed escort
James Barrett outside a
Pensacola, Florida abortion clinic on
July 29,
1994. In addition to the two murders, Hill wounded June Barrett, the wife of James Barrett. Sentenced to the
death penalty under
Florida law, Hill died by
lethal injection, making him the first person to be executed in the U.S. for killing a physician who provided abortions.
Hill's actions in 1994 were part of an upsurge of violence against abortion providers in the United States in the
1990s, which was disowned by mainstream pro-life activists. 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." During his trial, the judge did not allow Hill to explain his justification for the murders to the jury. Hill said he viewed them as
defensive, rather than
retributive, acts. Hill left behind a manuscript manifesto titled
"Mix My Blood with the Blood of the Unborn" which his backers promised him they would have published. It has been available online on his official site since
2004.
At the time of Hill's death,
Michael F. Griffin was serving a
life sentence for the murder of a doctor,
David Gunn, in
Pensacola, Florida in 1993, and
James Kopp was in prison for the killing of a physician in
Buffalo, New York.
Eric Rudolph was awaiting trial for a
1998 bombing that killed a police officer at an
Alabama abortion clinic.
John Salvi had committed
suicide in prison two years after killing two receptionists at a clinic in 1994 in
Massachusetts.
*
Nuremberg Files*
The Authorized Paul Hill Website*
Find A Grave Entry*
The Army of God Official Website Warning: Introduction page contains graphic images
*
Antiabortion detractors and supporters of Paul Hill
