Man charged with planning to kill abortion doctors will go to trial

Lang arrested in Madison motel last May

MADISON, Wis. — A man accused of planning to kill doctors at a Madison Planned Parenthood clinic has been bound over for trial.

Ralph Lang of Marshfield pleaded not guilty to the charge in Dane County Court Friday morning.

Police said in May of 2011, Lang was staying at a Motel 6 in Madison when he accidentally fired a bullet through his hotel room door.

When police responded to the incident and asked why he had a handgun he told an officer, “I brought a gun here to lay out abortionists, they are killing babies.”

Lang told officers he had already driven by the Planned Parenthood clinic and planned to find out who the doctor was so that he “could go shoot him in the head.”

“He numerous times told Detective Fry that he was prepared to kill the abortion doctors and said he was willing to do so because of the fact that he believed that they were killing human life and that it was his calling to put down the abortionists,” said Assistant District Attorney Bob Kaiser

Lang is being held on $200,000 cash bond, but his attorney petitioned for that to be reduced to a signature bond so that a federal case against him could proceed.

“If we take his statement that he didn’t take no physical action, couple that with the fact that he had the gun for at least two years and has been here several times in that time period,” said Eric Schulenberg, defense attorney. “The question is whether he took or did something that shows he was attempting to commit this crime.”

Lang has also been charged in federal court with attempting to injure a person that was providing reproductive health services.

Judge David Flanagan denied any changes to bond, and said prosecutors had proven probable cause for Lang to stand trial in circuit court.