Federal prosecutors also want the information withheld. “We’ve been involved since Wednesday night”.
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The 21-year-old is accused of the deadly shooting spree last month at Charleston’s historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. It’s a crime that Nettles says was a hate crime on multiple levels. “I mean, he didn’t know anybody in that room”, he said.
Roof planned for several months before the June 17 attack.
While South Carolina itself does not have a hate crime law, requiring the application of federal statute in this case, Ms. Lynch announced a federal grand jury in South Carolina had returned a 33-count indictment against Mr. Roof, charging him with federal hate crimes and firearms charges.
But many others say the shooting is precisely the kind of crime that Congress intended the federal government to prosecute when it enacted hate crime laws.
The white man suspected of murdering nine black people during bible study at a South Carolina church was charged on Wednesday with federal hate crimes, adding to multiple state counts that raise the possibility of a death sentence. The source, who has seen the indictment, spoke anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss the case publicly.
Roof “decided to seek out and murder African-Americans because of their race”, Lynch said. “An essential element of his plan, however, was to find his victims inside of a church, specifically an African-American church, to ensure the greatest notoriety and attention to his actions”.
Roof also faces nine counts of murder in state court and could be sentenced to the death penalty there. She said he singled out the almost 200-year-old church known as “Mother Emanuel” because of its historical significance in the African-American community.
“There’s two potential punishments, at this point: life imprisonment or the death penalty”, he said.
“The full weight of the national government and our federal judicial system is being brought against this man, as is the full weight of our state judicial system”, said Charleston Mayor Joe Riley. On the federal side, Nettles said it’s a lengthier process.
Although what tack Roof’s defense lawyers might take is unclear, Ohlin said their job may be made even more hard if Roof were to be unapologetic for any of the photos or writings.
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Prosecutors have not said whether they will seek the death penalty against Roof. South Carolina removed the flag, a Civil War-era symbol, from the state house grounds.
