Dylann Roof, a 22-year-old white man and self-described white supremacist, is now on trial for killing nine black people at a South Carolina Church in 2015. The trial began on Wednesday, December 7, 2016. He is being tried on 33 counts, including hate crime and murder charges, and if convicted, could face the death penalty.
On December 8, 2016, the court viewed photos from the scene of the crime, including grim photos of the victims. A survivor, Felicia Sanders, testified about witnessing the fatal shooting of her son and aunt. The testimony was very emotional, that, as Roof’s attorney David Bruck mentioned in court documents, “spectators and even court personnel — including members of the prosecution and defense — were crying with her."
Sanders talked about seeing her son plead with Roof before his death. “I watched my son come in this world and I watched my son leave this world,” she said.
Bruck argued for a mistrial since Sanders said in her testimony about Roof, “There's no place on Earth for him other than the pit of hell." Bruck said that the comment was inappropriate because it could be a statement declaring that Roof should receive the death penalty. Judge Richard Gergel denied the request, passing the statement off as a religious comment.
“In fairness and in mercy, our society does not invoke the death penalty if there are reasons to choose life, a life in prison,” said Bruck. “We do not behave like the person who committed this crime.” By: Ava Krueger, Editor
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