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Dylann Roof sentenced to death
[PHOTO SOURCE: http://cmortalx.com/dylann-roof-sentenced-to-death/]
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Victim's dad warns Dylann Roof: 'Your creator ... he's
coming for you'
Updated
2321 GMT (0721 HKT) January 11, 2017
Story highlights
· Judge formally sentences Dylann Roof to death· Victim's niece tells Roof, "I want your soul to burn in hell"
Charleston, South Carolina (CNN)Those whom Dylann Roof hurt the most had the chance to
address the convicted killer before his Wednesday sentencing, with one of the
victims' sisters calling him "among the worst kind of evil."
Roof
on Wednesday was formally sentenced to death -- as recommended by the jury --
for killing nine people at a historically black church in Charleston, South
Carolina, in 2015.
He
is the first federal hate-crime defendant to be sentenced to death, a Justice
Department spokesman said. He has 14 days to appeal his sentence.
Rev Middleton's niece: "To the devil sitting here today, I won't give you the honor of saying your name" #RoofTrial— Khushbu Shah (@KhushbuOShea) January 11, 2017
Roof
had indicated he wanted to speak at the sentencing hearing, but he didn't.
Instead
he listened to a long line of people whose loved ones he stole. More than one
family member took issue with the defendant failing to make eye contact with
them.
"Dylann
... Dylann! I know you can hear me," said Janet Scott, Tywanza Sanders'
aunt. "Even as (Tywanza) knelt there and asked you why you were doing this,
he was showing you love. He was showing you that one last chance, but you chose
not to instead."
The
Rev. Dan Simmons' son, Dan Simmons Jr., opened his statement by telling Roof,
"I understand why you don't want to look at us, so I will speak to the spirit
that possesses you."
If
Roof's intent was to sow hate and discord, he achieved the opposite, Simmons
said, urging the defendant to "look at the love this nation, this holy
city has poured out. You don't have to look at me. But I see that spirit. I want
you to think about that as I forgive for your act, for your actions. ... Know
you have an opportunity to ask for forgiveness. Know that God will forgive you.
... If you choose to serve him, you will have a better life. I hear you
breathing all the way over here. Speak to that spirit that's inside you."
Not
all family members were so magnanimous. Gayle Jackson, the niece of Susie
Jackson, told Roof that while she prayed that God would have mercy on his
mother, "I want your soul to burn in hell."
"My
mother can't even step a foot into church," she said. "And for you to
sit here every day -- I was here from the beginning to the end -- and never,
ever apologize ... was hurtful. I pray that your soul go to hell."
Charleston church shooting: Related coverage
Shirrene
Goss, the sister of Tywanza Sanders, seized on Roof's assertion he felt he had
to commit the massacre.
"You,
young man, are among the worst kind of evil," she said. "You have
said you didn't have to do this but you felt you had to do this. The fact is,
you did not have to do this just as my brother Tywanza urged you not to. ...
One day before your final earthly judgment, it's going to come to you, and you
are going to realize you did not have to do this. And it's going to hit you
hard."
The
26-year-old victim's father, Tyrone Sanders, also warned Roof what lies ahead
for him.
"Why
you want to single out black people in a church?" he asked. "That I
don't know. But whoever your creator is, he's coming for you."
Closing arguments and no remorse
On
Tuesday, Roof, 22, expressed no remorse during his closing argument. He
reiterated he had no choice but to kill nine people at the Emanuel African
Methodist Episcopal Church in June 2015.
"I
felt like I had to do it, and I still do feel like I had to do it," he
said.
His
statement followed the prosecutor's impassioned, two-hour argument. Assistant
US Attorney Jay Richardson reminded jurors that Roof sat with the church
members for 40 minutes before opening fire. He pulled the trigger "more
than 75 times ... reloading seven times" as he stood over his victims,
shooting them repeatedly, Richardson said.
Jurors
had the option to recommend life in prison without the possibility of parole,
but the 10 women and two men delivered a unanimous vote for the death penalty.
Yet
the jury's recommendation and the sentencing phase may not mean the end for the
case.
Why case could go on for 'very long time'
Death
penalty cases are notorious for their complexity, often spending years in
appeals and processes.
A
group of defense attorneys and others who worked on Roof's behalf issued a
statement, saying the death penalty decision means the case will not be over
for a "very long time."
Holman
Gossett, a former prosecutor in South Carolina, said it's possible Roof could
ask for a new trial.
"He
didn't have any attorneys helping him in the penalty phase so he may make that
motion after reflecting on it," Gossett told CNN affiliate WSPA-TV. "Then it would go
through the process of automatic hearings with appellate courts to see if
there's any reason under the law that it should not stand legal grounds."
Federal executions are rare
Since
the federal death penalty was reinstated in 1988 after a 16-year moratorium,
three federal inmates have been
executed in the United States. There are 63 federal prisoners awaiting
execution.
Roof's
court appearances may be far from over.
He
is also set to be tried on state murder charges, and prosecutors have said
they'll also seek the death penalty in that case.
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Nine victims of the
Charleston church shooting. Top row: Cynthia Hurd, Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Rev.
Sharonda Coleman-Singleton Middle row: Daniel Simmons, Rev. Depayne Middleton
Doctor, Tywanza Sanders Bottom row: Myra Thompson, Ethel Lee Lance, Susie
Jackson
Via Facebook and Getty Images
[PHOTO SOURCE: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/charleston-church-shooting/charleston-church-shooting-tributes-paid-kind-hearted-victims-n377551]
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'Hate won't win'
After
court, the Rev. Simmons' family said they were pleased with the guilty verdict
and praised the Department of Justice.
"I
am proud of my family. I am proud of the city of Charleston, and I'm proud of
America for keeping this story alive and allowing the victims... their voice to
be heard, even now 19 months after their death," said Rose Simmons, a
daughter.
Simmons'
son, Dan Simmons Jr., who addressed Roof in court said: "I wanted to speak
to the inner person, not the outer shell. I did achieve getting him to look up
and to pay attention to what I was saying."
Dan
Simmons Jr. ended the press conference with a message: "Hate won't
win."
CNN's Khushbu Shah reported from
Charleston, with Eliott C. McLaughlin writing in Atlanta. Jason Hanna, Catherine
E. Shoichet, Martin Savidge, Madison Park, Tristan Smith, Keith Allen, Darran
Simon, Steve Almasy and Ralph Ellis also contributed to this report.
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