As Robert Lewis Dear, the man charged with Friday's deadly shooting at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic, appeared in court on Monday, the judge presiding over the case ordered all documents related to the case sealed.
Dear, 57, appeared around 1:30 p.m. before a judge in a video hearing.
He was advised of a preliminary charge of first-degree murder with District Attorney Dan May saying Dear will be formally charged next Wednesday.
Suspect in Planned Parenthood attack makes appearance in court via cam from jail pic.twitter.com/phdFwJmwcR— Denver7 News (@DenverChannel) November 30, 2015
The state of Colorado now has 63 days to decide if they'll pursue the death penalty.
D.A. has 63 days from arraignment to formally say if seeking death penalty. #PPShooting #RobertDear— Cathy (@courtchatter) November 30, 2015
Dear is accused of killing a police officer and two civilians — one an Iraq war veteran and another a mother of two — who were accompanying separate friends to the clinic. The rampage touched off an hours-long standoff and shootout the day after Thanksgiving that also left nine other people in the hospital.
Acting at the request of prosecutors, Judge Stephen J. Sletta issued the order sealing the arrest warrant for Dear and the search warrant for his home. The order was made available Monday after being issued Friday, the day of the attack.
All documents in Planned Parenthood Shooting case involving suspect Robert Dear have been sealed by court @KDVR pic.twitter.com/yIWGc646F7— Macradee (@macradee) November 30, 2015
Prosecutors said making them public would jeopardize the ongoing investigation. The judge agreed to keep the records sealed until the termination of the case or a further order of the court.
Dear was arrested in May 2002 when a woman said he looked into her home and put her in fear for her life.
Court records in South Carolina show a Peeping Tom charge against Dear was dismissed less than two months later, on the same day a woman who made the accusation filed a restraining order against him.
Colleton County Court administrator Pamala White said Monday a copy of the restraining order was no longer available because the county destroys them after 10 years.