Authorities were working over the weekend to confirm that a letter put up for auction online was written by the jailed white supremacist who allegedly massacred nine black churchgoers last month in Charleston, South Carolina.
A spokesman for the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office, Maj. Eric Watson, told local TV station WIS that authorities were aware of the letter and were working to confirm it was indeed sent by 21-year-old Dylann Roof.
The letter appeared on the auction website TrueCrimeAuctionHouse.com and was listed for a $1,000 immediate purchase price. Bidding on the letter had reached just $550 as of Tuesday morning and was scheduled to end Wednesday at 8:09 p.m.:
Roof, who’s been indicted on nine counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder for the attack on Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church, reportedly confessed to the shooting on and told investigators that he wanted to start a race war.
The auction listing contained only two photos: one of the envelope, postmarked June 30, in which Roof allegedly sent the letter and another of the suspected gunman’s signature. Gossip website Radar Online published what it said were images of the letter itself obtained from the auction website.
In the letter, Roof allegedly thanked a person named Andrew from Washington state for writing to him so quickly after he was apprehended.
“It is nice to receive mail in jail,” Roof allegedly wrote. “Most people probably would be too scared to send me a letter.”
In another portion of the letter, Roof allegedly asked whether Andrew’s last name has been “anglicized,” which is consistent with his white supremacist leanings.
“I also want to ask you the origin of your last name,” Roof allegedly wrote. “Is [redacted] an English surname? Or is it anglicized (?) name of a different origin?”
