Now the news is coming out: murder suspect Scott Roeder’s contacts with Operation Rescue adviser Cheryl Sullenger (convicted of conspiracy to bomb an abortion clinic in 1988) were much more frequent than she first acknowledged. Apparently, Roeder was in touch with her as recently as the beginning of this year, when Sullenger was helping him to track Dr. Tiller’s court appearances.

Roeder apparently kept track of the state prosecution against Tiller through a senior member of Operation Rescue, the anti-abortion organization.

At the time of Roeder’s arrest Sunday afternoon along Interstate 35 in Johnson County, a television station captured the vehicle on video. There on the dashboard was a note that read “Cheryl” and “Op Rescue” with a phone number.

Cheryl Sullenger, senior policy adviser for Operation Rescue out of Wichita, said Tuesday that she has spoken to Roeder in the past, but she said he would initiate the contact. She said she hasn’t had any recent contact with him.

Sullenger served about two years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiring to bomb an abortion clinic in California in 1988. She has since renounced violent action.

She said Roeder’s interest was in court hearings involving Tiller.

“He would call and say, ‘When does court start? When’s the next hearing?’ ” Sullenger said. “I was polite enough to give him the information. I had no reason not to. Who knew? Who knew, you know what I mean?”

Actually, more than one person acquainted with Scott Roeder knew that he was potentially violent: Scott Roeder: The Tiller Murder Suspect.

“I know that he believed in justifiable homicide ... I know he very strongly believed that abortion was murder and that you ought to defend the little ones, both born and unborn.”
—Regina Dinwiddie, who met Roeder in 1996 while picketing outside the Kansas City Planned Parenthood clinic, Kansas City Star, June 1, 2009

“He was fanatic about a lot of things. I went to one of his court appearances and thought, ‘This guy is dangerous.’ There were a lot of red flags that came up about him.”
— Suzanne James, former director of victims’ services for Shawnee County, where Roeder was involved with the Freemen, Kansas City Star, June 1, 2009