Trucker who fatally shot abortion protester, businessman in Michigan gets life sentence

Man who killed 2 in Mich. town gets life sentence

CORUNNA, Mich. — A trucker who stunned a small Michigan community by killing an abortion protester and a businessman was sentenced Thursday to life in prison by a judge who said he wished he could also order “hard labor.”

Harlan Drake apologized before getting his punishment, but any sign of remorse was trumped minutes later by his impromptu remarks to Shiawassee County Circuit Judge Gerald Lostracco.

Drake called him a racist and a hypocrite before stepping away from the podium and returning to his seat at the defense table.

Drake, 34, was convicted of first-degree murder in the shootings of James Pouillon and Mike Fuoss last September.

Pouillon, 63, was a well-known abortion protester who was gunned down while holding a picture of an aborted fetus outside Owosso High School, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit. Fuoss, 61, was shot in his office at a local gravel business.

There was never any doubt that Drake killed them. His lawyers, however, said he was mentally ill at the time and didn’t understand what he was doing. The jury rejected an insanity defense.

“This case was not about abortion. … It was about your intention to be a hit man” to settle grudges,” Lostracco said.

Drake replied: “Coming from a hypocrite and a racist, I really appreciate that, judge.”

Drake’s mother didn’t like Pouillon’s aggressive protests, and she didn’t get along with Fuoss, a former boss, according to trial testimony.

Drake grinned when the judge said he wished he had the authority to sentence him to hard labor.

Pouillon’s daughter, Holly Pouillon, and a granddaughter, Madison Pouillon, told the judge about their loss. Fuoss’ brother, Jim Fuoss, also spoke.