Dylann Roof Death Penalty Cases

When news broke that nine people who were worshiping at a Church in South Carolina were shot and killed, people across the nation were shocked and outraged. At first, the shooter was on the loose and his intentions were unknown. It was speculated that the victims were targeted either for their religion or race, perhaps both. However, once the suspect was caught, his intention became known. It did not take long for Dylann Roof, the Charleston Shooter’s intentions of killing over race to become apparent to everyone. Roof’s manifesto was laced with racism. Roof wrote, “We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet. Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me.” Dylann Roof appeared to have committed his heinous act out of hatred for the African American race. While it seemed clear that what Roof did was out of hatred for a race and thus was a hate crime, some called it an act of terrorism.
Roof’s …show more content…
While many debate the use of the death penalty, it would seem appropriate in this situation. However, it may be revealed that Roof was, in fact, suffering from mental illness. If Roof were suffering from mental illness, then perhaps life without parole would be more appropriate. As the debate over Roof being charged with a hate crime continues, it should be noted that prosecutors must and should charge Roof with the best charges that will lead to a likelihood of conviction, not what the public wants. After all, Roof will have a defense attorney in this matter, and the defense attorney would likely challenge a terrorism charge. According to legal analyst Daniel Medwed, the FBI’s definition of terrorism does not match up with what others think. However, the FBI’s definition is based on federal law, and prosecutors charge according to law, not what someone may think or