  james charles kopp (born august 2, 1954) is an american citizen who was convicted in 2003 for the 1998 sniper-style murder of barnett slepian, an american physician from amherst, new york who performed abortions. prior to his capture, kopp was on the fbi's list of ten most wanted fugitives. on june 7, 1999 he had become the 455th fugitive placed on the list by the fbi. he was affiliated with the militant roman catholic anti-abortion group known as "the lambs of christ". he has been referred to as a terrorist by the national memorial institute for the prevention of terrorism,the memorial institute for the prevention of terrorism bio sketch of kopp and was "well-known in militant anti-abortion circles, where he was nicknamed atomic dog" vulliamy, mcdonald & jeffries (2001) abortion death hunt muzzles 'atomic dog': fbi kept at bay by suspect using a secret email system, the guardian, 1 april 2001 ==early life== james charles kopp was born in pasadena, california and raised lutheran, but later converted to roman catholicism. he graduated from the university of california, santa cruz in 1976, with a bachelorâs degree in biology, going on to take a master's degree in embryology from california state university fullerton. kopp started providing support to anti-abortion groups after his girlfriend underwent an abortion, and used his technical abilities to create special locks that protesters then used on the doors of abortion clinics. ==murder== on october 23, 1998, at approximately 10 p.m., barnett slepian was standing in the kitchen of his home in amherst, new york. kopp fired a single shot from a rifle from a nearby wooded area, which entered the slepian home through a rear window. slepian was a well-known obstetrician/gynecologist who performed abortions at a women's clinic in buffalo, new york. he also maintained a private medical practice in an office in amherst, new york. within hours of the murder, anti-abortion militants posted slepian's name crossed out on their internet website, which also served as "a virtual hit list of d
1954_births 20th-century_American_criminals American_Roman_Catholics American_assassins American_criminal_snipers American_people_convicted_of_murder American_prisoners_sentenced_to_life_imprisonment American_pro-life_activists Anti-abortion_violence_in_the_United_States Christian_terrorism Converts_to_Roman_Catholicism_from_Lutheranism FBI_Ten_Most_Wanted_Fugitives Living_people People_convicted_of_murder_by_New_York People_from_Pasadena,_California Perpetrators_of_religiously_motivated_violence_in_the_United_States Prisoners_sentenced_to_life_imprisonment_by_New_York University_of_California,_Santa_Cruz_alumni