USA-SHOOTING/SOUTH CAROLINA South Carolina to seek death penalty in Charleston church massacre

Record ID: 134771

  • Title: USA-SHOOTING/SOUTH CAROLINA South Carolina to seek death penalty in Charleston church massacre
  • Date: 3rd September 2015
  • Summary: CHARLESTON, SOUTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 18, 2015) (REUTERS) CHURCH EXTERIOR VARIOUS OF FLOWERS AND CANDLES LAWANDA AND JOSEPH GREY LAYING FLOWERS FLOWERS
  • Embargoed: 18th September 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA85PO6CHGOYMPMG48LE3FC2XMS
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A South Carolina prosecutor will seek the death penalty for Dylann Roof, who is charged with the June murders of nine black worshippers at a Charleston church, court documents showed on Thursday (September 3).
    Roof, 21, is white and has been accused by prosecutors of gunning down the victims because they were members of Charleston's Emanuel AME Church, a nationally known historically black church.
    "While none of us has the heart for vengeance, we all have the resolve to seek and to find justice in this case," Ninth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson told a news conference on Thursday.
    She said that although victims' family members hold differing opinions on the death penalty, they have shown her "great respect" in regards to her decision.
    "This was the ultimate crime and justice from our state calls for the ultimate punishment," Wilson added.
    The death penalty decision could determine how Roof pleads in the case. He has not entered a plea so far in the state's murder case.
    At his July 31 arraignment on separate federal hate crime and firearms charges, his attorney said Roof wanted to plead guilty to those charges, but the defense team was not ready to let him do so until they knew whether the government would seek the death penalty.
    The federal judge then entered a temporary "not guilty" plea on the court's behalf.
    Some of the victims' relatives have said they forgive Roof but have not said where they stand on the death penalty.
    Roof is accused of shooting the "Emanuel 9" on June 17 after he had entered the church, joined their group and sat quietly with them before opening fire.
    Among the dead was Clementa Pinckney, the church's pastor who was also a state senator. President Barack Obama eulogized Pinckney in Charleston at a funeral attended by more than 5,000 people.
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