THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, January 6, 1995 TAG: 9501060487
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LYNN WALTZ, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Long : 155 lines
John C. Salvi III, accused of killing two Massachusetts abortion clinic workers, released a rambling six-page handwritten statement Thursday asking for the death penalty if convicted or to become a priest if acquitted. The second wish on his list was for an interview with Barbara Walters.
U.S. Marshals flew Salvi to Boston Thursday afternoon from Oceana Naval Air Station to face state murder charges and federal firearms charges. He will be arraigned there in federal court Friday afternoon.
Norfolk prosecutors cleared the way for Salvi's transfer to federal authorities Thursday morning by postponing local charges from Saturday's shooting at Hillcrest Clinic.
``We will refile the charges,'' said Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Chuck Griffith in a press conference outside General District Court. ``But it's more important for him to face the most serious charges first. These kinds of activities must be dealt with in the harshest way to show this is not acceptable conduct in a free country.''
Salvi, 22, of Hampton, N.H., was arrested shortly after he allegedly fired 23 bullets into Norfolk's only abortion clinic. The day before, he allegedly killed two receptionists and wounded five other people at clinics in Brookline, Mass.
Griffith called the shootings ``terrorism'' and those who condone them ``moral accomplices,'' an apparent reference to local anti-abortion activists who hailed Salvi as a hero. One of those activists, Donald Spitz of Chesapeake, praised Salvi for his courage and has attempted to visit him in in jail.
However, on Thursday, after reading Salvi's statement, Spitz was more guarded because Salvi did not mention abortion in the statement.
``I'm not distancing myself from the man,'' Spitz said. ``But we're withholding judgment until we have clearer indications of his motivations.''
During the Thursday press conference, Griffth said, ``We have to be free of terrorism. When we're not, we no longer live in a free country. Anybody who stands on the sidelines and praises or does not condemn the action is a moral accomplice to the crime. They're not helping their (pro-life) cause.''
Reached at his home, Spitz responded to Griffith's remarks by saying that ``anyone who does not condemn the shedding of the blood of innocent babies at Hillcrest is a moral accomplice to their deaths.''
According to The Boston Globe, Spitz's name and number were found during a search this week of Salvi's New Hampshire apartment. Spitz said Thursday he does not remember ever meeting Salvi and he has no idea why Salvi might have his name and number.
``Maybe it was some editorial I wrote for a pro-life magazine,'' he said. ``It could be anything. I don't know what would have my phone number on it, though. The only thing that's got my phone number on it is my business card. But I don't give out too many of those.''
The FBI is investigating whether the shootings were part of a conspiracy to attack abortion clinics. Spitz said Thursday he has not been contacted by either the FBI or local police.
Katherine Spillar, director of the Feminist Majority Foundation's Clinic Defense Project, said Thursday she was glad federal authorities have decided to acknowledge and investigate the possibility of a conspiracy.
``I hope this is the break we've been waiting for,'' she said of the news that Spitz' name and number had been found among Salvi's belongings. ``I don't see how anyone can continue to question the existence of an orchestrated campaign of terrorism against abortion providers.''
Local pro-choice activists also praised Griffith's decision to release Salvi to federal authorities, saying it ensures that Salvi will be prosecuted swiftly for the most serious charges, which carry the stiffest sentences.
``Wherever he can get the maximum sentence is where he should be sent,'' said Mary Robertson, a member of a small group holding signs outside General District Court Thursday. Mary Franke, a board member of the National Organization for Women, said she hopes he can still be returned to face Norfolk charges after state and federal prosecutions are completed in Massachusetts.
The Boston U.S. Attorney's Office said Thursday Salvi will face charges Friday of unlawful flight and transporting firearms across state lines. Federal prosecutors said they are not ruling out charges that could lead to the death penalty.
Massachusetts has no death penalty for state crimes; the maximum penalty for murder is life without parole. The federal firearms charges are punishable by up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The first glimpse into Salvi's state of mind came in the six-page statement, apparently released over his attorneys' objections.
``We are issuing this at the insistence of our client,'' said state-appointed Boston attorney J.W. Carney, as pro-choice advocates formed a halo around him with their ``Keep Abortion Legal'' signs. ``It's important to John that the statement be issued. As our client, he is directing this case.''
Before distributing 75 photocopies of the statement, Carney said he had spoken with John's father by phone and that the family was ``understandably distraught.'' He asked that media representatives not contact the family, to allow them to deal with their grief privately.
Salvi's statement did not mention abortion and said he was not admitting guilt in the slayings. Instead, Salvi laid out a disjointed treatise on the persecution of Catholics.
Salvi said he would like to have an interview with television journalist Walters. ``I will not release all information until that interview,'' he said in the statement.
According to The Associated Press, Walters said: ``I have no intention of interviewing Mr. Salvi. I have not requested an interview and do not intend to do so.''
During the two court hearings Thursday, Salvi was polite and cooperative with the judges. He wore a blue Norfolk Jail jumpsuit. Chains encircled his hips, fastening his arms close to his body.
From state court, he was whisked into the federal courthouse on Granby Street so quickly he did not have time to change clothes. He was hurried through a side door, still wearing the short-sleeved jumpsuit in the subfreezing air. By the time he appeared in federal court 30 minutes later, he was wearing a white shirt and blue sports coat.
Salvi did a sharp military-style turn around the defense table in federal court as he was brought in, then sat sorting and reading papers and letters.
Security was tight. Two U.S. marshals guarded the front of the courtroom, two more guarded the back door and two more manned metal detectors at the building entrance.
Inside the large courtroom, 11 rows of spectator benches were nearly filled with curious gawkers and scribbling reporters. Federal clerks took time off to sit in back rows, or peek through the back door, to see Salvi. Three courtroom sketch artists worked in the jury box. A magistrate from an adjoining courtroom stopped by to watch.
Outside, television cameramen thankfully accepted proffers of hot coffee as they staked out the entrances, waiting for the conclusion of the hearings. MEMO: Staff writers Mike Mather, Laura LaFay, Joe Jackson and Marc Davis
contributed to this report.
ILLUSTRATION: Color photos
BETH BERGMAN/Staff
John C. Salvi III stands shackled Thursday in General District Court
in Norfolk, where prosecutors cleared the way for his transfer to
Boston to face murder charges.
PAUL AIKEN/Staff
Graphic
Developments Thursday
Norfolk prosecutors postponed charges against John C. Salvi III
in a shooting spree at Hillcrest Clinic, allowing him to be
transfered to federal authorities.
U.S. marshals flew Salvi from Virginia Beach to Massachusetts,
where he will face charges of killing two abortion-clinic
employees.
The Boston Globe reported that police found the name and address
of Hampton Roads anti-abortion activist Donald Spitz in Salvi's New
Hampshire apartment. Spitz said he had no idea why Salvi would have
that information.
The FBI said it is investigating whether the shootings were part
of a conspiracy to attack abortion clinics.
KEYWORDS: ABORTION CLINICS ANTI-ABORTION SHOOTING ARREST by CNB