In an opening statement to jurors Wednesday morning, convicted Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof refused to apologize or offer an excuse for the 2015 massacre at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church that left nine dead. "The point is, I'm not going to lie to you. There's nothing wrong with me psychologically," said Roof, 22, who is representing himself in the sentencing phase of his trial. Roof did not plead for his life to be spared from the death penalty, and has said he doesn't plan to present any evidence or witnesses during the trial.
Roof's statement Wednesday echoed an entry from his journal, seized in August 2015, in which Roof wrote he "would like to make it crystal clear" he had no regrets nor was he sorry for murdering nine black churchgoers at a Bible study. "I have not shed a tear for the innocent people I killed," Roof wrote. He later added, "I have shed a tear of self-pity for myself ... that I had to do what I did in the first place."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Does depopulation threaten humanity?Talking Points Falling birth rates could create a 'smaller, sadder, poorer future'
-
New White House guidance means federal employees could be hearing more religious talk at workThe Explainer Employees can now try to persuade co-workers of why their religion is 'correct'
-
Real-life couples creating real-deal sparks in the best movies to star IRL partnersThe Week Recommends The chemistry between off-screen items can work wonders
-
Australian woman found guilty of mushroom murdersspeed read Erin Patterson murdered three of her ex-husband's relatives by serving them toxic death cap mushrooms
-
Combs convicted on 2 of 5 charges, denied bailSpeed Read Sean 'Diddy' Combs was acquitted of the more serious charges of racketeering and sex trafficking
-
Sniper kills 2 Idaho firefighters in ambushSpeed Read A man started a wildfire, then fired a rifle at first responders when they arrived
-
Weinstein convicted of sex crime in retrialSpeed Read The New York jury delivered a mixed and partial verdict at the disgraced Hollywood producer's retrial
-
'King of the Hill' actor shot dead outside homespeed read Jonathan Joss was fatally shot by a neighbor who was 'yelling violent homophobic slurs,' says his husband
-
DOJ, Boulder police outline attacker's confessionspeed read Mohamed Sabry Soliman planned the attack for a year and 'wanted them all to die'
-
Assailant burns Jewish pedestrians in Boulderspeed read Eight people from the Jewish group were hospitalized after a man threw Molotov cocktails in a 'targeted act of violence'
-
Driver rams van into crowd at Liverpool FC paradespeed read 27 people were hospitalized following the attack
