On the morning of September 11, 2009, James Lawrence Pouillon, a 63-year-old male anti-abortion activist, was fatally shot while protesting in front of Owosso High School in Owosso, Michigan. A well-known figure in the community, Pouillon, who relied on an oxygen tank, had been actively protesting against abortion since 1988. On the day of his death, he was holding a sign displaying a graphic image of what was described as an aborted fetus.
The assailant, Harlan James Drake, a
33-year-old truck driver from Owosso Township, drove past Pouillon and shot him multiple times from his vehicle. A witness at the scene was able to record the license plate number of the vehicle, which quickly led law enforcement to Drake. Within an hour of the shooting, police located and arrested Drake. Upon his arrest, Drake confessed to the murder of Pouillon and also admitted to killing another man, Michael Fuoss, a 61-year-old local businessman, earlier that same day at his gravel pit business. Authorities indicated that Fuoss had no connection to the anti-abortion movement. It was later revealed that Drake had also intended to kill a third person.
Drake's motive for killing Pouillon was reportedly his offense to the graphic nature of the protest signs, which he and his family members found inappropriate for display near a school where children would be present. The shooting was not believed to be connected to the broader abortion debate, as Drake was not an abortion-rights activist. While in custody, Drake attempted to take his own life by using a piece of a broken television to cut his arm.
Initially, Harlan Drake was found incompetent to stand trial and was placed in the custody of the Michigan Department of Mental Health. He was later deemed fit for trial. During the trial, his own testimony, in which he described the killings and even made jokes, was detrimental to his case. His defense attorney argued that Drake suffered from depression stemming from a 2004 motor vehicle accident in which two teenagers were killed, though Drake was not held legally responsible for that incident. On March 11, 2010, a jury found Harlan Drake guilty of two counts of first-degree murder. He was subsequently sentenced to two life terms in prison without the possibility of parole. At his sentencing, Drake expressed that he deserved to be in jail 'forever.'
