Crime & Justice
Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof’s death sentence upheld
A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld the conviction and sentence of Charleston church shooter and white supremacist Dylann Roof.
A federal appeals court on Wednesday upheld the conviction and sentence of Charleston church shooter and white supremacist Dylann Roof, who was sentenced to death for the June 2015 racist mass shooting at Emanuel AME.
Dylann Roof sentence upheld
Roof’s appeal was rejected by an unanimous three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond. The proclaimed white supremacist he was incompetent to stand trial in the shootings at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.
In 2017, Roof became the first person in the U.S. sentenced to death for a federal hate crime. Roof opened fire during the closing prayer of a Bible study at the church. He was 21 at the time.
Appeal
In his appeal, Roof’s attorneys argued that he was wrongly allowed to represent himself during sentencing, a critical phase of his trial. Roof successfully prevented jurors from hearing evidence about his mental health status, “under the delusion,” his attorneys argued, that “he would be rescued from prison by white-nationalists — but only, bizarrely, if he kept his mental-impairments out of the public record.”
Roof’s lawyers said his convictions and death sentence should be vacated or his case should be sent back to court for a “proper competency evaluation.”
Despite their arguments, the 4th Circuit found that the trial judge did not commit an error when he found Roof was competent to stand trial and issued a blistering rebuke of Roof’s crimes.
“Dylann Roof murdered African Americans at their church, during their Bible-study and worship. They had welcomed him. He slaughtered them. He did so with the express intent of terrorizing not just his immediate victims at the historically important Mother Emanuel Church, but as many similar people as would hear of the mass murder,” the panel wrote in its ruling.
“No cold record or careful parsing of statutes and precedents can capture the full horror of what Roof did. His crimes qualify him for the harshest penalty that a just society can impose,” the judges wrote.
----------------------------------------------------------
Connect with Unheard Voices on Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube
Download the app on Google Play or ITunes.
----------------------------------------------------------
Unheard Voices Magazine is a news reporting platform covered under Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Leave a Reply
-
Health & Wellness3 weeks ago
Amber Nicole Thurman died from delayed care due to Georgia’s abortion laws, says family
-
Culture2 weeks ago
New Wu-Tang Clan concert film returns to Wilmington before PBS release
-
Entertainment3 weeks ago
‘OWN For the Holidays’ returns for its sixth year with three original movies for a festive 2024 season
-
Culture4 weeks ago
3 Chambers Fest celebrates the fusion of hip-hop, martial arts, and anime culture
-
Politics3 weeks ago
Lil Scrappy, Big Freedia, Mia X, Cookie Nasty, and more artists partner with Hip Hop Caucus for a Political Rap Cypher
-
Culture3 weeks ago
Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts (BOPA) is accepting submissions for 2025 Janet & Walter Sondheim Art Prize and Creative Baltimore Fund grant program
-
Entertainment3 weeks ago
CHURCHY series starring Kevin “KevOnStage” Fredericks renewed for a second season
-
Culture5 days ago
Hip Hop Caucus Highlights Success of 2024 Respect my Vote! Campaign
Pingback: Milk Crate Challenge Prompts TikTok To Issue Warning Amid Injury Reports