INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Dylann Roof: Charleston Church Shooter Sentenced To Death, Victim’s Families Say Justice Has Been Served

By Lindsay McCane
Published on: 12:30 PST, Jan 11, 2017

Dylann Roof, a convicted murderer, has been sentenced to death.

As the Inquisitr previously reported, Roof was convicted last month of murdering nine African American church goers at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church during a Bible study in June 2015. Last week, Dylann, who was representing himself, gave his opening statement to the jury, telling them to forget anything his former lawyers had previously said about his mental stability or lack thereof. You can read his opening statement below.

“My opening statement may seem a little out of place. You may have heard the reason I chose to represent myself so to prevent my lawyers from misrepresentation. That’s absolutely true. It isn’t because I am trying to keep a secret. I am not going to lie to you through myself. My lawyers forced me to go through two mental competency hearings, not because I have an issue, but it is going to be revealed. In that respect my self-representation has accomplished nothing, you say, what is the point? Point is that I am not going to lie to you.Other than the fact that I trusted people I shouldn’t have… (inaudible).”

“There’s nothing wrong with me psychologically. Anything you heard from my lawyers in the last phase (of the trial), I ask you to forget it. That’s the last thing.”

Roof has never showed any remorse for his actions, claiming he had to kill the nine innocent parishioners. He continued this trend while giving his closing statement to the jury, never once apologizing for the agony he caused the victim’s families. You can read a portion of Roof’s closing statement below.

“I think that it’s safe to say that no one in their right mind wants to go into a church and kill people. In my confession to the FBI, I told them that I had to do it. But obviously that’s not really true. I didn’t have to do it, and no one made me do it. What I meant when I said that was I felt like I had to do it, and I still feel like I had to do it.”

Following Roof’s closing statement, the jury deliberated for less than three hours and made the decision to condemn the self-proclaimed white supremacist. Judge Richard Gergel of U.S. District Court sentenced Roof to 18 death sentences and 15 life sentences, which is the statutory maximum for each of the 33 federal counts that were filed against him, according to USA Today.

Although it will never bring their loved ones back, the family members of the nine victims say justice has been served.

“Today we had justice for my sister (Cynthia Hurd),” Melvin Graham said.

“This is a very hollow victory, because my sister is still gone. I wish that this verdict could have brought her back. But what it can do is just send a message to those who feel the way he feels that this community will not tolerate it. Every time I hear about a shooting I want to cry. We have to stand together.”

“I am so glad he’s convicted and making us believe and know there’s nothing mentally wrong with him,” Blondell Gadsen, Myra Thompson’s sister, said.

“When you’re heart is empty, there’s no way to give and receive love.”

Dylann Roof was responsible for the murders of Cynthia Hurd, 54; Susie Jackson, 87; Ethel Lance, 70; Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49; Hon. Rev. Clementa Pinckney, 41; Tywanza Sanders, 26; Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., 74; and Rev. Sharonda Singleton, 45; Myra Thompson, 59.

Do you agree with the jury’s decision to sentence Dylann Roof to death? Leave your comments below.

[Featured Image by Pool/Getty Images]

Share this article: Dylann Roof: Charleston Church Shooter Sentenced To Death, Victim’s Families Say Justice Has Been Served
Dylann Roof
More from Inquisitr