SPRINGFIELD, Missouri. (KOAA) — The man who admitted to shooting and killing three people in the 2015 Planned Parenthood mass shooting in Colorado Springs has died.
An inmate records request shows that Robert L. Dear, 67, died in federal custody on November 22, where he was being held at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners (MCFP) in Springfield, Missouri.
The cause of his death has not been shared at this time. The Federal Bureau of Prisons sent us the following statement.
We can confirm Robert L. Dear passed away on November 22, 2025, at the United States Medical Center for Federal Prisoners (USMCFP) Springfield, located in Springfield, Missouri.
For safety, security, and privacy reasons, this office does not share specifics regarding the cause of death for any inmate. The official cause of death is determined by the medical examiner and not the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
November 27 would mark ten years since the tragedy that killed three people and injured nine others.
Dear had yet to make a plea, as his mental competency has been called into question for the last decade. He admitted to the shooting during a 2015 court hearing, saying, "I'm guilty, there's no trial!"
Dear was in federal custody awaiting medical restoration to competency following years of trials in both federal and state courts.
Those killed were UCCS Police Officer Garrett Swasey, KeArre M. Stewart, and Jennifer Markovsky.
This is a developing story and will be updated as more information is released.
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