The man accused of gunning down three people at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado last fall told police he was "happy" after the attack — and dreamed aborted fetuses would be grateful for what he had done, according to newly released arrest warrants.
Robert Dear Jr. has confessed to the Nov. 27 killings during outbursts in court proceedings, but he has yet to enter a formal plea.
Related: Robert Dear, Accused Planned Parenthood Killer, Tries to Fire Lawyers
In the documents, which shed light on why the reclusive suspect allegedly opened fire on the Colorado Springs facility, Dear told a detective that "his dream" was that, when he died, he would be met "by all the aborted fetuses at the gates of heaven and they would thank him what for what he did because his actions saved lives of other unborn fetuses," the document says.
He was "happy because his actions ... ensured that no more abortions would be conducted at the Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs," the document adds.
The arrest and search warrants were unsealed Monday after news organizations challenged a judge's refusal to release them. The media argued that such documents are commonly released in criminal cases, and the public has a right to know why Dear, 57, faces multiple counts of murder and attempted murder for the five-hour siege on the day after Thanksgiving. Nine others were injured in the attack.
Among his items searched were a pickup truck, his emails and a computer, and his trailer in the community of Hartsel, west of Colorado Springs.
The documents also reveal that Dear "thought very highly" of Paul Hill, who was convicted and executed in the murder of a Florida abortion provider and the provider's bodyguard in 1994.
Related: Who Is Robert Dear? Shooting Suspect Seemed Strange, Not Dangerous, Neighbors Say
Dear told police he harbored a grudge against Planned Parenthood, saying he wanted to be a "warrior for the babies" and initially talked about "no more baby parts" — rhetoric that came after videos prompted a congressional investigation into Planned Parenthood and the alleged sale of tissue from aborted fetuses.
Dear had to stop several times to get directions to the Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood, and even called the office itself for help, documents say.
He wore a homemade vest made from silver coins and duct tape and carried four Soviet-style SKS semi-automatic rifles as he stormed the clinic, the documents say.
He allegedly shot one woman multiple times before going inside, telling her she shouldn't have been there that day. She survived.
Once inside, Dear shot at propane tanks in an attempt to get them to explode.
Dear later engaged in a gun battle with police before surrendering as police crashed armored vehicles into the lobby to help people escape. He said he had an injury to his right hand and his lower abdomen amid the chaos.
The three victims were a woman there to support a friend, an Army veteran and a Colorado Springs university police officer.
A judge is set to hear testimony based on a doctor's report on Dear on April 28. Dear, who faces the death penalty for the rampage, could be found incompetent to stand trial. His attorney said he should be committed indefinitely to a state psychiatric hospital.
