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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 29 January 2020

White supremacist appeals death penalty in church massacre

By DENISE LAVOIE "Roof's crime was tragic, ing a separate proceeding
AP Legal Affairs Writer but this Court can have no in state court, Roof was giv-
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — confidence in the jury's ver- en nine life sentences in ex-
White supremacist Dylann dict." Roof became the first change for his guilty plea.
Roof on Tuesday appealed person to be ordered ex- In their legal brief, Roof's ap-
his federal convictions and ecuted for a federal hate pellate lawyers argue that
death sentence in the 2015 crime when he was sen- the "federal trial shouldn't
massacre of nine black tenced to death for fatally have happened at all."
church members in South shooting nine black church They said the state quickly
Carolina, arguing that he members at Emanuel AME brought capital charges
was mentally ill when he Church in Charleston, against Roof's "wholly-in-
represented himself at his South Carolina, on June 17, trastate crime," but months
capital trial. 2015. later, federal prosecutors
In a 321-page legal brief Prosecutors said he specifi- sought their own death
filed with the 4th U.S. Cir- cally chose Emanuel AME, sentence. They argue that
cuit Court of Appeals in the South's oldest black state officials "viewed the
Richmond, Roof's lawyers church, to carry out the federal prosecution as un-
ask the court to review 20 massacre. After he was ar- necessary and disruptive."
issues, including errors they rested, Roof told FBI agents "This Court should vacate In this April 10, 2017, file photo, Dylann Roof enters the court
say were made by the that he wanted the shoot- Roof's convictions and room at the Charleston County Judicial Center to enter his
judge and prosecutors that ings to bring back segrega- death sentence," they guilty plea on murder charges in Charleston, S.C.
"tainted" his sentencing. tion or perhaps start a race wrote. Associated Press
One of their main argu- war. Roof's appellate lawyers sistant Federal Public De- the Confederate flag from
ments is that U.S. District The jury's verdict came include: Amy Karlin, interim fender for Maryland. its Statehouse. Roof had
Judge Richard Gergel after a trial in which the Federal Public Defender The U.S. Department of Jus- posed with the flag in pho-
should not have allowed avowed white supremacist for the Central District of tice did not immediately tos.
Roof to represent himself did not show any remorse California; James Wyda, respond to a request for The slain included the Rev.
during the penalty phase or attempt to fight for his Federal Public Defender comment on the claims Clementa Pinckney, the
of his trial because he was life. Roof never explained for Maryland; Alexandra made in Roof's appeal. church's pastor and a state
a 22-year-old ninth-grade why he committed the Yates, Deputy Federal Pub- A response brief from the senator; a high school track
dropout "who believed massacre. lic Defender for the Central DOJ is due on Feb. 18. coach; the church sexton;
his sentence didn't matter Roof's legal advisers re- District of California; and The massacre prompted a librarian; and an aspiring
because white nationalists peatedly expressed frus- Sapna Mirchandani, As- South Carolina to remove poet.q
would free him from prison tration that Roof wouldn't
after an impending race allow them to introduce
war." mental health evidence
Roof's appellate lawyers that could possibly spare
said Roof had been diag- his life.
nosed with "schizophrenia- Roof asked jurors to for-
spectrum disorder, autism, get anything they'd heard
anxiety, and depression," from his legal team about
but that he "jettisoned" his his mental state, declaring,
experienced trial attorneys "there's nothing wrong with
to stop them from prevent- me psychologically."
ing evidence of his mental "I still feel like I had to do it,"
illness to jurors. Roof said in his closing ar-
They said his trial attorneys gument.
told the judge that in their "Anyone who hates any-
decades of experience, thing in their mind has a
"none had represented a good reason for it."
defendant so disconnect- Prosecutors told the jury
ed from reality." Roof, they that Roof walked into the
said, presented no mitigat- church and sat with the
ing evidence to the jury. Bible study group for about
"Instead, prosecutors told 45 minutes, then opened
them Roof was a calcu- fire during the final prayer,
lated killer with no signs of when everyone's eyes
mental illness. Given no were closed.
reason to do otherwise, The federal jury convicted
jurors sentenced Roof to Roof of 33 federal charges,
death," his attorneys wrote. including hate crimes. Dur-