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U.S. NEWS Thursday 5 January 2017
THURSDAY

Church gunman insists to jury that he is not mentally ill

MEG KINNARD made time for the girls,”
Associated Press said Pinckney, describing
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) her husband’s affinity for
— Dylann Roof spoke cartoonish neckties and
Wednesday for the first socks. “He was the per-
time to the jurors who will son I think that every mom
decide whether he should would be happy that their
be executed for fatally daughter met and married.
shooting nine black pa- ... I know that he loved me.
rishioners during a Bible And he knew how much
study, insisting that he is not that I loved him.”
mentally ill and forgoing a She talked about the night
chance to plead for his life. of the shootings, saying she
The soft-spoken 22-year- and her then-6-year-old
old white man told the daughter, Malana, were
jury that he was not trying in her husband’s office
to keep any secrets from when gunfire erupted. She
them. He did not offer re- locked the doors, shoved
morse or seek forgiveness her daughter under a desk
or ask them to spare him and put her hand over her
from a lethal injection. daughter’s mouth.
“My opening statement is “She was like, ‘Mama, is
going to seem a little bit Daddy going to die?’ And
out of place,” Roof said I told her, ‘Malana, be qui-
calmly as he delivered the et.’”
brief remarks at a podium, She said she believed she
occasionally glancing at In this June 18, 2015 file photo, Charleston, S.C., shooting suspect Dylann Storm Roof is escorted survived the shootings be-
notes. “I am not going to from the Cleveland County Courthouse in Shelby, N.C. cause she was meant to
lie to you. ... Other than the Associated Press continue her husband’s
fact that I trust people that ments of the trial’s guilt-or- rific acts justify the death From his writings, it’s clear legacy, part of which in-
I shouldn’t and the fact innocence stage. penalty.” that Roof does not believe volved fighting to get the
that I’m probably better “I would ask you to forget “He killed nine people. ... in psychology. In one of his Confederate flag removed
at constantly embarrassing it,” Roof told jurors, referring He killed them because of journals, he called the field entirely from the South Car-
myself than anyone who’s to what his lawyers said the color of their skin. He “a Jewish invention” that olina Statehouse, which
ever existed, there’s noth- then. killed them because they “does nothing but invent happened about a month
ing wrong with me psycho- Prosecutors said Roof de- were less than people,” diseases and tell people after the attack.
logically.” serves the death penalty Williams said. they have problems when “Yes the flag came down
Shortly before Roof’s state- because he painstakingly The panel has heard they don’t.” and so forth, but he just did
ment, prosecutors present- chose to target vulnerable from Roof before in the Prosecutors plan to call up so much,” she said. “You
ed a jailhouse journal in people at Emanuel AME form of his confession to to 38 people related to the can’t please everyone.
which he wrote that he did Church in the June 2015 the FBI and his racist mani- slain and the survivors. The He tried to please as many
not regret the massacre or attack. He sat with church festo. And on Wednesday, first witness to testify was people as he could.”
“shed a tear” for the dead. members for about 45 min- prosecutors read from the Jennifer Pinckney, the wid- Pinckney was not
Roof’s attorneys have in- utes and waited until their journal found in Roof’s jail ow of Clementa Pinckney, asked whether she
dicated that he chose to eyes were closed in prayer cell six weeks after his ar- a state senator and pastor thought Roof deserved
represent himself during before opening fire. He rest. His handwritten words at Emanuel AME. the death penalty. Some
the sentencing phase of told Polly Sheppard that he were projected on screens During more than two family members of victims
his trial because he was wanted to leave her alive in the courtroom. hours on the stand, Pinck- have offered forgiveness.
worried his legal team to tell the world that he “I remember how I felt when ney described her hus- Others have said they are
might present embarrass- attacked a historic black I did these things and how band as an affable figure undecided.
ing evidence about him- church because blacks I knew I had to do some- who was widely respected When it was Roof’s turn to
self or his family. As early were “raping our women thing and then I realize it as a state legislator and cross-examine Pinckney,
as last summer, they said and taking over the na- was worth it,” he wrote. “I preacher and who was a he said, “No questions.”
they planned to introduce tion.” would like to make it crystal goofy family man in private Roof has said he does not
evidence that Roof suffers Two other people also sur- clear. I do not regret what I with his two young daugh- plan on calling any wit-
from mental illness, and vived. did. I have not shed a tear ters. nesses or introducing any
they hinted at that idea Assistant U.S. Attorney Na- for the innocent people I “He always made time for evidence.q
again during closing argu- than Williams said the “hor- killed.” the family, and he always