The white supremacist convicted of gunning down nine members of a South Carolina church during Bible study told jurors considering whether he should be put to death that there is “nothing wrong with me psychologically,” according to media reports.
Dylann Roof is representing himself during the sentencing portion of the trial, despite objections from his attorneys who have raised concern about his mental competency.
He told jurors Wednesday it is “absolutely true” that he chose to represent himself so attorneys would not present evidence of mental illness.
“Other than the fact that I am better at constantly embarrassing myself than anyone who has ever existed, there is nothing wrong with me psychologically,” Roof said, according to The State.
He later added during his brief statement that although his mental competency hearings will be made public after the trial is over that the point of representing himself in the sentencing phase was that to represent himself in this case “is that I’m not going to lie to you.”
The 22-year-old white man fatally shot nine members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina after attending a Bible study with the group in 2015. Prosecutors said Roof, who blamed blacks for wrongs committed against whites in society, had hoped his attack would would fuel a race war.
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Roof confessed to the killings, and his legal team acknowledged his guilt during the trial. The same jury who is considering whether he should get the death penalty found him guilty in December of federal hate crimes and other charges stemming from the mass shooting. Attorneys called to witnesses for his defense, seeking to portray the gunman as a disaffected, delusional loner who got caught up in racist ideals and conspiracy theories he found online.
On Wednesday, Roof told the jury “to forget” anything his attorneys said during the prior phase of the trial. He has said he does not expect to call any witnesses or introduce any evidence during the penalty phase of the trial.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan Williams, in his opening statement, said of the nine murders would justify the death penalty but that his extensive planning and lack of remorse make him even more worthy of capital punishment.
“He killed them because of the color of their skin, because he thought they were less than people,” said Mr. Williams, according to Reuters.
• Andrea Noble can be reached at anoble@washingtontimes.com.
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