The Murder of Jim Pouillon

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.
Psalm 116:15
The murder of Jim Pouillon occurred on September 11, 2009.
Anti-Abortionist James Pouillon was shot while protesting abortion in front of Owosso High School in Owosso, Michigan.

Police arrested Harlan James Drake and charged him with murder. Drake was later convicted of first-degree murder, and was subsequently sentenced to a life sentences.

Jim Pouillon was a well-known Michigan activist and member of Operation Save America. An elderly man dependent on an oxygen tank to breathe, he had been protesting abortion since 1988. On the day he was shot, Pouillon was leading a protest across the street from Owosso High School in Owosso, Michigan.

During the protest, Pouillon was shot at 7:20 a.m. EDT by a gunman in a passing vehicle. One witness recorded the vehicle's license plate number.   An hour after Pouillon's shooting, police located and arrested the owner of the vehicle, Harlan James Drake. Drake indicated he had shot Jim Pouillon.

Pouillon's murder was evidently the first time an activist had ever been killed while protesting abortion.  Police said Drake was offended by pro-life material that Pouillon had displayed across from the school for the previous week. Drake himself said that he killed Pouillon because he (Drake) and his (Drake's) mother were offended by the fact that Pouillon was displaying an aborted baby sign near a school where children could see it.
Jim Pouillon protest

Jim Pouillon

While in custody awaiting trial, Drake attempted suicide by breaking a TV and using the broken glass to cut his wrists. Before the trial, Drake said he shot Pouillon because his (Drake's) mother and nieces were upset by Pouillon's graphic sign, which Drake felt should not be displayed near children.  On September 30, 2009 Drake was deemed incompetent to stand trial and was remanded into the custody of the Michigan Department of Mental Health. Drake was later declared fit to stand trial. Drake testified about how he committed the murder, and even cracked jokes during his testimony. His testimony proved to be very damaging to his case. On March 11, 2010, the jury returned a verdict of guilty of first-degree murder.


On April 22, 2010, Drake received life imprisonment and expressed remorse for the pain caused to the families. Drake himself said he should go to jail forever.

Several pro-life groups and leaders have deemed Pouillon a martyr.    Pouillon's funeral was held at the Owosso High School football stadium.

His daughter Mary Jo Pouillon said of him, "He didn't want to hurt anyone that hadn't hurt him or his family," adding, "They're talking about the babies today. That's what he'd say." She sang in a memorial service that drew pro-life activists from across the country.

The right-to-life organization Operation Rescue named Pouillon "Person of the Year" for 2009, saying that Pouillon's murder was pro-abortion rights violence.


Jim Pouillon murdered for holding pro-life sign.

From Missionaries to the Preborn

Law enforcement authorities have now made it public that Jim Pouillon was in fact murdered specifically because of his displaying pro-life signs on the streets.

The Detroit News reported this morning, "Harlan James Drake, 33, confessed to shooting 63-year-old activist James Pouillon because of the larger-than-life photographs of mutilated fetuses Pouillon was setting up to display Friday morning in front of Owosso High School, authorities said."

The Detroit Free Press reported Shiawassee County Prosecutor Randy Colbry said the killing of Mr. Pouillon was related to the latter's anti-abortion protest. He said, "The defendant was offended by the manner of Mr. Puillon's message."

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting, "A man carrying grudges against several people set off on a shooting spree Friday morning, authorities said, killing an abortion protester outside a high school because he didn't like the activist holding a sign with graphic images of a fetus in front of students."

CNN is reporting, "Authorities say the suspect, Harlan James Drake, was offended by anti-abortion material that the activist had displayed across from the school all week." 


Genesis 9:6
Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

Numbers 35:33 So ye shall not pollute the land wherein ye are: for blood it defileth the land: and the land cannot be cleansed of the blood that is shed therein, but by the blood of him that shed it.

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