Jury Convicts Dylann Roof of 33 Federal Charges In Slayings of Black Church Members

Prosecutors have said the man, Dylann Roof, 22, is an avowed white supremacist who carried out a racially motivated attack. Defense lawyers have said he would plead guilty if prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty. (Reuters)

A jury on Thursday convicted Dylann Roof of slaughtering nine black members of a Charleston, South Carolina, church.

He was convicted of 33 federal charges, from hate crimes to the obstruction of the practice of religion.

Roof, 22, walked into the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, commonly referred to as “Mother Emanuel,” in June 2015 during Bible study. He sat with congregation members before taking out a gun and starting his massacre.

The 12 jurors deliberated for less than two hours after six days of testimony. Seventeen of his federal charges carry the death penalty.

Roof plans to represent himself during the sentencing phase of his trial.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

SOURCE: The Huffington Post
Sebastian Murdock