THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, January 2, 1995 TAG: 9501020061
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: CONCORD, N.H. LENGTH: Short : 41 lines
A young man charged with killing two abortion clinic receptionists in suburban Boston called a friend in tears just 90 minutes before he allegedly shot up a clinic building in Virginia.
In a disjointed telephone interview Sunday, John Christo defended his friend, John C. Salvi III, and attacked the media for portraying Salvi as a ``serial killer'' instead of a ``nice guy.''
``There's nothing wrong with John whatsoever other than he killed a couple people,'' he said.
Salvi, 22, described by acquaintances as a moody, Scripture-quoting man, was arrested Saturday in Norfolk after a gunman shattered windows of a building that houses the city's only abortion clinic.
Christo, 35, said he was Salvi's next-door neighbor in a beach motel in Hampton, N.H., a short distance across the border from Boston. He said Salvi phoned him Saturday morning and sounded ``a little bummed out.'' Salvi was crying and asked to borrow money, Christo said.
When Christo asked whether Salvi knew police had been searching for him, Salvi said ``he wasn't worried about it. It wasn't a big issue,'' Christo said. Christo said the shootings didn't come up and neither did abortion.
He said Salvi had argued with his father over Christmas because the elder Salvi was disappointed in his son's decision to pursue a hairdressing career.
It was different with his mother, said Rick Griffin, Salvi's former boss at hair salons in southeastern New Hampshire. ``He was very much into doing what his mother wanted. He always got his hair permed because his mother didn't want him to have long hair,'' Griffin said. ``When he cut people's hair, he would do the exact opposite of what they wanted.''
KEYWORDS: SHOOTING ANTI-ABORTION ABORTION CLINIC by CNB