Dylann Roof Ruled Competent To Stand Trial For Charleston Church Shooting
Dylann Roof, the white supremacist that was sentenced to death in January of this year for the murder of nine people at a Charleston, S.C., church, reportedly stopped at another church on the same night as the horrific attack.
Newly released court documents (via ABC News) claim that the 22-year-old left the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, and traveled to the Branch AME Church, with the documents citing GPS data that was not revealed during the trial. Branch AME is an estimated 30 minutes away from Emanuel, and was also hosting a Bible study that night.
According to the report, Roof apparently told FBI agents that he was too tired after attacking Emanuel to keep shooting.
Roof was ultimately found unanimously guilty by a 12 person jury of 33 counts, including hate crimes and obstruction of the practice of religion, as well as nine murder charges in state court. Roof had represented himself in court since the penalty phase of the trial began.
Prior to his sentencing Roof had given the following final argument, where he stated he still felt he had to commit the crime he did.
"In my confession to the FBI I told them that I had to do it, and obviously that's not really true…I didn't have to do anything. But what I meant when I said that was, I felt like I had to do it, and I still do feel like I had to do it," Roof said.
"Anyone including the prosecution who thinks I'm full of hatred has no idea what real hate is…they don't know what real hatred looks like. They think they do but they don't really," Roof added.
Roof’s attorneys are arguing in a request for a new federal trial for him, in hopes of saving him from the death penalty.
