Paul Jennings Hill
Encyclopedia
Paul Jennings Hill was the first person in the United States to be executed for murdering a doctor who performed abortions.
on February 6, 1954, to Oscar Jennings Hill, an airline pilot, and his wife Louise. Hill was raised in Coral Gables, where he was quiet and reserved, but well liked in high school. He was charged with assault at the age of 17 by his father when his father attempted to get treatment for his son's drug problem.
Hill's religious conversion
happened two years later in 1973, soon after being sent to Military School. He enrolled in Belhaven College
later that year where he met his future wife, Karen Demuth, with whom he would have three children.
. Following his ordination in 1984, Hill became a minister affiliated with both the Presbyterian Church in America
and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church
.
He was excommunicated in 1993 following a number of nationally televised appearances, in which he claimed to be the new national spokesperson for defensive action against abortion providers, with connections to the Army of God.
abortion clinic with which he was familiar. When he spotted clinic doctor John Britton
and his bodyguard
, James Barrett, outside, he shot them both at close range with a shotgun. Both Dr. Britton and James Barrett died. Hill also wounded Barrett's wife, June. Following the shots, Hill laid his shotgun on the ground and waited to be arrested.
During his trial, the judge did not allow Hill to use an affirmative defense
justification. Hill said he viewed the acts as defensive rather than retributive. On December 6, 1994, Hill was sentenced to death by lethal injection
under Florida
law. His death warrant was signed nine years later by Governor Jeb Bush
.
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
". Hill left behind a manuscript manifesto which his backers promised him they would publish. That manifesto and his address to the jury that convicted him echoed the words of John Brown
, who had attempted to incite a violent insurrection to end slavery
in the United States. Hill was not apologetic for the killings, and in his last words he encouraged others who believe abortion is an illegitimate use of lethal force to "do what you have to do to stop it".
Hill died by lethal injection
in Florida State Prison
on September 3, 2003.
Early life
Paul Hill was born in Miami, FloridaMiami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
on February 6, 1954, to Oscar Jennings Hill, an airline pilot, and his wife Louise. Hill was raised in Coral Gables, where he was quiet and reserved, but well liked in high school. He was charged with assault at the age of 17 by his father when his father attempted to get treatment for his son's drug problem.
Hill's religious conversion
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
happened two years later in 1973, soon after being sent to Military School. He enrolled in Belhaven College
Belhaven College
Belhaven University is a private Christian liberal arts university located in Jackson, Mississippi. Founded by Dr. Lewis Fitzhugh and later donated to the now defunct Presbyterian Church in the United States, the school has been independently run by a Board of Trustees since 1972...
later that year where he met his future wife, Karen Demuth, with whom he would have three children.
Early career
Hill graduated from Belhaven College and Reformed Theological SeminaryReformed Theological Seminary
Reformed Theological Seminary is a non-denominational, evangelical Protestant seminary. RTS's first campus remains in Jackson, Mississippi, United States though the school has expanded to include several additional campuses.-Founding:...
. Following his ordination in 1984, Hill became a minister affiliated with both the Presbyterian Church in America
Presbyterian Church in America
The Presbyterian Church in America is an evangelical Protestant Christian denomination, the second largest Presbyterian church body in the United States after the Presbyterian Church . The PCA professes a strong commitment to evangelism, missionary work, and Christian education...
and the Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Orthodox Presbyterian Church
The Orthodox Presbyterian Church is a conservative Presbyterian denomination located primarily in the United States. It was founded by conservative members of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America who strongly objected to the pervasive Modernist theology during the 1930s . Led...
.
He was excommunicated in 1993 following a number of nationally televised appearances, in which he claimed to be the new national spokesperson for defensive action against abortion providers, with connections to the Army of God.
Crime and punishment
On July 29, 1994, Hill approached a Pensacola, FloridaPensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
abortion clinic with which he was familiar. When he spotted clinic doctor John Britton
John Britton (doctor)
John Bayard Britton was an American physician. He was murdered in Pensacola, Florida by anti-abortion terrorist Paul Jennings Hill...
and his bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
, James Barrett, outside, he shot them both at close range with a shotgun. Both Dr. Britton and James Barrett died. Hill also wounded Barrett's wife, June. Following the shots, Hill laid his shotgun on the ground and waited to be arrested.
During his trial, the judge did not allow Hill to use an affirmative defense
Affirmative defense
A defendant offers an affirmative defense when responding to a plaintiff's claim in common law jurisdictions, or, more familiarly, in criminal law. Essentially, the defendant affirms that the condition is occurring or has occurred but offers a defense that bars, or prevents, the plaintiff's claim. ...
justification. Hill said he viewed the acts as defensive rather than retributive. On December 6, 1994, Hill was sentenced to death by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
under Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
law. His death warrant was signed nine years later by Governor Jeb Bush
Jeb Bush
John Ellis "Jeb" Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd Governor of Florida from 1999 to 2007. He is a prominent member of the Bush family: the second son of former President George H. W. Bush and former First Lady Barbara Bush; the younger brother of former President George W...
.
In a statement before his execution, Hill said that he felt no remorse
Remorse
Remorse is an emotional expression of personal regret felt by a person after he or she has committed an act which they deem to be shameful, hurtful, or violent. Remorse is closely allied to guilt and self-directed resentment...
for his actions, and that he expected "a great reward in Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
". Hill left behind a manuscript manifesto which his backers promised him they would publish. That manifesto and his address to the jury that convicted him echoed the words of John Brown
John Brown (abolitionist)
John Brown was an American revolutionary abolitionist, who in the 1850s advocated and practiced armed insurrection as a means to abolish slavery in the United States. He led the Pottawatomie Massacre during which five men were killed, in 1856 in Bleeding Kansas, and made his name in the...
, who had attempted to incite a violent insurrection to end slavery
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
in the United States. Hill was not apologetic for the killings, and in his last words he encouraged others who believe abortion is an illegitimate use of lethal force to "do what you have to do to stop it".
Hill died by lethal injection
Lethal injection
Lethal injection is the practice of injecting a person with a fatal dose of drugs for the express purpose of causing the immediate death of the subject. The main application for this procedure is capital punishment, but the term may also be applied in a broad sense to euthanasia and suicide...
in Florida State Prison
Florida State Prison
Florida State Prison , formerly known as the Union Correctional Institution—East Unit, is a correctional institution located in unincorporated Bradford County, Florida. It is located on Florida State Road 16 right across the border from Union County. The institution opened in 1961, even though...
on September 3, 2003.
See also
- List of individuals executed in Florida
- Anti-abortion violence
- David TroschDavid TroschDavid C. Trosch is a former Roman Catholic priest from Mobile, Alabama, who abides by the concept of justifiable homicide for abortion providers.-History:...
External links
- The Authorized Paul Hill website
- Inmate Release Information Detail - Inmate 459364. Florida Department of CorrectionsFlorida Department of CorrectionsThe Florida Department of Corrections, established in 1821, operates state prisons in Florida. It has its headquarters in Tallahassee.The Florida Department of Corrections operates the third largest state prison system in the United States...
. (Retrieved on 2008-05-29.)