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Fury, forgiveness at condemned South Carolina church gunman's sentencing
Source: Reuters
U.S. | Wed Jan 11, 2017 | 4:41pm EST
Fury, forgiveness at condemned South Carolina church gunman's sentencing
By Harriet McLeod | CHARLESTON, S.C.
White supremacist Dylann Roof, condemned to death for a mass shooting at a Charleston, South Carolina, church, heard forgiveness and fury at his sentencing hearing on Wednesday from grieving loved ones of the nine slain black parishioners.
Some victims' family members called the 22-year-old Roof evil and deserving of the death penalty for the June 17, 2015, attack at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest African-American congregation in the American South.
"I want your soul to burn in hell," said Gayle Jackson, a niece of 87-year-old victim Susie Jackson.
Others said their Christian faith required them to forgive. They echoed comments at Roof's first court appearance after the shooting, where several victims' relatives shocked the country with their merciful tone toward the suspect.
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Wednesday's sentencing by U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel was a formality after the jury's unanimous verdict. Roof, who also faces a death sentence if convicted of state murder charges, is unlikely to be executed anytime soon due to a lengthy appeals process.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Fury, forgiveness at condemned South Carolina church gunman's sentencing
By Harriet McLeod | CHARLESTON, S.C.
White supremacist Dylann Roof, condemned to death for a mass shooting at a Charleston, South Carolina, church, heard forgiveness and fury at his sentencing hearing on Wednesday from grieving loved ones of the nine slain black parishioners.
Some victims' family members called the 22-year-old Roof evil and deserving of the death penalty for the June 17, 2015, attack at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, the oldest African-American congregation in the American South.
"I want your soul to burn in hell," said Gayle Jackson, a niece of 87-year-old victim Susie Jackson.
Others said their Christian faith required them to forgive. They echoed comments at Roof's first court appearance after the shooting, where several victims' relatives shocked the country with their merciful tone toward the suspect.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Wednesday's sentencing by U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel was a formality after the jury's unanimous verdict. Roof, who also faces a death sentence if convicted of state murder charges, is unlikely to be executed anytime soon due to a lengthy appeals process.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-south-carolina-shooting-roof-eyewitne-idUSKBN14V254