Appeals Court Upholds Dylann Roof’s Death Sentence
A three-judge panel found Roof competent to stand trial and rejected claims of mental illness. Roof was convicted in the killing nine Black parishioners at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. as they prayed during Bible study in 2015.
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A federal appeals court has upheld Dylann Roof’s conviction and death sentence for killing nine Black parishioners at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. as they prayed during Bible study in 2015, reports the Washington Post. A three-judge panel unanimously affirmed a trial judge’s finding that Roof was competent to stand trial and rejected the argument that the judge had ignored testimony about Roof’s mental illness. Roof’s defense team is expected to appeal the ruling to the Supreme Court.
The federal government is not scheduling any executions until the Justice Department completes a review of death penalty policies put in place during the tenure of President Donald Trump. While President Biden is personally opposed to capital punishment, his administration has continued to back a death sentence for Roof. The judges affirmed Roof’s conviction in a 149-page ruling and emphasized that the mass shooting was premeditated and designed to attract widespread attention. Roof was the first person sentenced to death for a federal hate crime.
