A Catholic priest who served prison time for vandalizing abortion clinics in Alabama has died at 79.

AL.com reports that Rev. Edward Markley died Monday morning at St. Bernard Abbey, where he was a Benedictine monk.Markley was convicted for splashing red paint on equipment at a Huntsville clinic in June 1984, and ordered to pay restitution to two employees who required medical treatment.

He refused to pay the restitution and spent 30 days in jail until an anonymous donor paid.

He was also convicted of felony charges stemming from a May 1984 sledgehammer attack on a Birmingham clinic, and given a suspended sentence.

He was sentenced to serve five years in prison after violating probation terms requiring him to stay 500 feet (152 meters) away from abortion clinics.
(Associated Press, copyright 2018)

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