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Robert Dear Appears in Court, Could Face Death in Planned Parenthood Killings

The man accused of killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic made his first court appearance Monday.
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The man accused of killing three people at a Colorado Planned Parenthood clinic made his first court appearance Monday, where he was told that he could face the death penalty.

Robert Lewis Dear, 57, wore a protective vest and cast his eyes downward as he spoke to the judge via closed circuit TV, while victim's relatives watched from the El Paso County courtroom.

Related: DOJ: No Decision on Federal Charges Against Colorado Shooting Suspect

Dear said little, answering the judge's yes-or-no questions in a raspy voice with his public defender at his side.

If convicted of first degree murder, Dear would face a minimum sentence of life in prison and a maximum of death, the judge said.

Asked if he had any questions, Dear replied, "No questions."

Dear is due back in court Dec. 9.

Public defender Daniel King asked to see the crime scene, a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs where Dear, allegedly armed with a rifle, opened fire Friday afternoon, killing a police officer and two civilians and wounding nine others during a five-hour siege that ended with his surrender.

The judge said the lawyer could visit the scene when police finished their investigation.

Image: Robert Dear
Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting suspect Robert Dear, right, appears via video hearing during his first court appearance, where he was told he faces first degree murder charges, Monday, Nov. 30, 2015, in Colorado Springs, Colo. At left is public defender Dan KingMark Reis / AP