The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it plans to seek the death penalty against Dylann Roof, the white man accused of a gunning down nine black parishioners last year at a historically black church in Charleston, South Carolina.
“Following the department’s rigorous review process to thoroughly consider all relevant factual and legal issues, I have determined that the Justice Department will seek the death penalty,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in a statement. “The nature of the alleged crime and the resulting harm compelled this decision.”
Roof faces federal charges including hate crimes, weapons charges and obstructing the practice of religion.
Roof reportedly wanted to plead guilty to the 33 federal charges against him, but his lawyer wanted to wait until prosecutors said whether they would seek the death penalty. Roof additionally faces multiple state-level charges, including nine counts of murder.
Experts said Roof, who’d allegedly planned the attack for six months, appeared to have white supremacist leanings.
The death penalty is barbaric.
Enough.
Agreed. He should rot in jail.
Agreed. It’s not a deterrent, it’s not more efficient than prison, it doesn’t protect society better than incarceration, and there’s no “do over” if the justice system makes a mistake. There’s simply no justification for it. Ever.
I completely disagree. It believe was entirely justified in the case of Timothy McVeigh, and I believe it’s justified here as well. It’s appropriate to place a moratorium to review all pending capital cases to make sure that the accused have received competent representation and to ensure exculpatory evidence wasn’t surpressed or ignored, but there’s no question that Roof murdered those people.
Agreed. I think it’s used entirely too often and it’s disproportionately used against the poor and minorities, but this guy was going to get the chair one way or another. Either by the Feds or the State. And if ever there were a time to kill…