It sounds like a rhetorical question — but these days, it's not. James Kopp, charged with the 1998 murder of Amherst, N.Y., abortion provider Dr. Barnett Slepian, did exactly that almost two years ago, moving with help from a complex web of accomplices in the U.S. and finally settling in the Brittany region of France.
As it turns out, Kopp chose his new home quite wisely. The French government is often loath to extradite Americans facing murder charges, because France is vehemently opposed to the death penalty. Even after Ira Einhorn, the infamous "Unicorn Killer," was located by the FBI 16 years after his indictment, he still could not be pried from the country. After the arrest, French authorities repeatedly "mislaid" various extradition documents, and Einhorn is still living in France.
Could Kopp benefit from the same bureaucracy? It's possible. Kopp — who allegedly shot Slepian while the doctor sat in his own kitchen — faces state charges of second-degree murder and federal charges of using a firearm in a crime of violence and using deadly force to prevent a physician from providing abortions. If he is found guilty on the federal charges, he could face the death penalty. And that could mean a great deal of foot-dragging in France, where a panel of three judges will consider the FBI's request for extradition.
Back in the U.S., Justice Department officials, including Attorney General John Ashcroft, insist they are confident the Kopp extradition will be successful, but admit they could face serious diplomatic hurdles throughout the process.
For now, Kopp remains imprisoned in western France, where he will wait for the FBI to file the official extradition request. As the paperwork begins, French lawyers familiar with the case predict Kopp's situation will prompt a great deal of debate and even discord — not just over the death penalty but over the general state of Franco-American relations.