John Salvi
Encyclopedia
John C. Salvi III was an abortion
opponent who carried out fatal terrorist attacks on two Planned Parenthood
reproductive health clinics in Brookline, Massachusetts
, on December 30, 1994. These were the subject of intense media coverage. He was convicted, and later died in 1996 of an apparent suicide.
. He shot and killed receptionist Shannon Lowney. In the second attack security guard Richard Seron returned fire. Salvi then dropped a bag containing a second gun and 700 rounds of ammunition and fled. Police were able to identify him from a gun shop receipt in the abandoned bag.
John Salvi was captured in Norfolk, Virginia
, after another Planned Parenthood shooting. On March 19, 1996, he was found guilty of murdering receptionists Lee Ann Nichols and Shannon Lowney. After an unsuccessful defense strategy related to Salvi's mental state, he was convicted in both killings.
The shooting at the Hillcrest clinic, in Norfolk Virginia, was also a clinic picketed by Donald Spitz
, a known supporter of anti-abortion terrorism. It was reported by the Boston Globe that Salvi had Spitz's name and unlisted phone number on his person at the time of his arrest. Salvi was seen as a hero by some anti-abortionists in Norfolk, Virginia. Spitz was never charged in connection with Salvi's activities.
Salvi's conviction was ultimately overturned by the sentencing judge. Judge Barbara Dortch-Okara invoked the legal principle that a conviction may not stand if the accused dies before his appeals are exhausted.
John Salvi had extensive beliefs in a number of conspiracy theories. While considered by his defense as evidence of severe mental illness, many elements of his conspiracy beliefs reflected those of others on the extreme end of anti-abortion activism : "Shortly after his arrest he released a handwritten note alleging conspiracies of freemasons, conspiracies to manipulate paper currency, and conspiracies against Catholics. ... He has talked about the Vatican printing its own currency and a specific conspiracy of the Ku Klux Klan, the Freemasons, and the Mob."
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
opponent who carried out fatal terrorist attacks on two Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood
Planned Parenthood Federation of America , commonly shortened to Planned Parenthood, is the U.S. affiliate of the International Planned Parenthood Federation and one of its larger members. PPFA is a non-profit organization providing reproductive health and maternal and child health services. The...
reproductive health clinics in Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
, on December 30, 1994. These were the subject of intense media coverage. He was convicted, and later died in 1996 of an apparent suicide.
Planned Parenthood shootings
On December 30, 1994, John Salvi walked into a Planned Parenthood clinic in Brookline, MassachusettsBrookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
. He shot and killed receptionist Shannon Lowney. In the second attack security guard Richard Seron returned fire. Salvi then dropped a bag containing a second gun and 700 rounds of ammunition and fled. Police were able to identify him from a gun shop receipt in the abandoned bag.
John Salvi was captured in Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, after another Planned Parenthood shooting. On March 19, 1996, he was found guilty of murdering receptionists Lee Ann Nichols and Shannon Lowney. After an unsuccessful defense strategy related to Salvi's mental state, he was convicted in both killings.
The shooting at the Hillcrest clinic, in Norfolk Virginia, was also a clinic picketed by Donald Spitz
Donald Spitz
Donald Spitz is a controversial Christian anti-abortion activist in the United States. He lives in Chesapeake, Virginia, and runs the website for the anti-abortion group Army of God.-Beginnings:Donald Spitz was born in Norfolk, Virginia...
, a known supporter of anti-abortion terrorism. It was reported by the Boston Globe that Salvi had Spitz's name and unlisted phone number on his person at the time of his arrest. Salvi was seen as a hero by some anti-abortionists in Norfolk, Virginia. Spitz was never charged in connection with Salvi's activities.
Trial
During Salvi's trial, the defense argued that Salvi suffered from schizophrenia. Several expert witnesses, including noted forensic psychiatrist Phillip J. Resnick, M.D., testified that Salvi exhibited schizophrenic behavior and was not competent to stand trial. John's mother Anne Marie Salvi testified that her son had told her that he, "was the thief on the cross with Jesus." The defense argued that Salvi told his parents that "...the mafia and KKK are out to get me". The prosecution utilized the testimony of Bridgewater State Hospital psychologist Dr. Joel Haycock, who spent eleven days with Salvi out of his sixty days under observation at Bridgewater State Hospital. Dr. Haycock claimed Salvi purposefully chose not to give a narrative of the events of December 30, 1994 and concluded that Salvi had no mental disease at the time of the crime and was competent to stand trial. Salvi was found competent to stand trial and was found guilty.Salvi's conviction was ultimately overturned by the sentencing judge. Judge Barbara Dortch-Okara invoked the legal principle that a conviction may not stand if the accused dies before his appeals are exhausted.
John Salvi had extensive beliefs in a number of conspiracy theories. While considered by his defense as evidence of severe mental illness, many elements of his conspiracy beliefs reflected those of others on the extreme end of anti-abortion activism : "Shortly after his arrest he released a handwritten note alleging conspiracies of freemasons, conspiracies to manipulate paper currency, and conspiracies against Catholics. ... He has talked about the Vatican printing its own currency and a specific conspiracy of the Ku Klux Klan, the Freemasons, and the Mob."
Death
Salvi was found dead in his prison cell on November 29, 1996. The official report states that Salvi's death was a suicide. This was a source of some controversy, as other reports claim he was found with his hands and feet tied together, with cotton shoved in his mouth and a bag placed and tied with a shoelace over his head. His lawyers are quoted as saying that his body showed marks of having been beaten before his death.External links
- The Washington Post - Salvi Convicted of Murder in Shootings
- The John Salvi papers, 1994-1996 are located in the Northeastern University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections Department, Boston, MA.