Family and friends arrive for Slepian's funeral
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Terror tactics haunt abortion doctors
Anyone with any information on Dr. Slepian's killing is asked to contact: Amherst, New York Police Dept: 716-689-1390 New York State Police: 716-343-2200 FBI (Buffalo, New York office): 716-856-7800

October 26, 1998
Web posted at: 4:49 p.m. EST (2149 GMT)

AMHERST, New York (CNN) -- As family and friends mourned Dr. Barnett Slepian on the day of his funeral Monday, police and the FBI held a news conference to ask for help in finding his killer, offering a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information, "even if seemingly unrelated," is asked to contact authorities, said John Askey, chief of police in Amherst, New York, the Buffalo suburb where Slepian was gunned down at his home by a sniper Friday night.

Investigators speculate that the killer, who remains at large, is someone opposed to the abortions the 52-year-old obstetrician-gynecologist performed as part of his practice. Authorities did not reveal any leads in the case, during the news conference.

The police chief said the sniper hid in a wooded area near Slepian's home "for an undetermined period of time" before firing one shot from a high-powered rifle.

Several hundred mourners attended the private funeral service for Slepian, who is survived by a wife and four sons.

A letter from President Clinton and first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was read, while a rabbi who delivered the eulogy called Slepian someone who "lived to love and loved to live."

In a 1991 interview, Slepian said he did not fear for his safety, but rather for his wife and children

One of Slepian's former patients brought her infant daughter to the funeral. She said the doctor never minded when patients brought their kids to his office, and she didn't think he'd mind if she brought her baby to say farewell to the man who brought the child into the world.

Slepian's family asked that instead of cards and flowers, contributions in the doctor's memory be sent to the Pro Choice Network.

A joint Canadian-American task force is investigating the killing as part of its probe into a series of attacks on abortion providers in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario and New York that may be linked to Slepian's death.