It came as no surprise that a federal jury
recommended the death penalty for Dylann
Roof, the unapologetic, unrepentant young
man who in June 2015 massacred nine
African-Americans inside an historic church
in Charleston, S.C. Not only did he
deliberately target innocent parishioners in
the midst of bible study for the sole purpose
of advancing the cause of white supremacy ,
but the trial was as one-sided as could be.
Deliberations took less than three hours.
Given the indisputable evidence of guilt and
premeditation, the only possible defense
against the charges would have been
insanity. However, Roof’s rejection of mental
illness as an affirmative defense at trial and
as mitigation in sentencing speaks volumes
about his mission. Such a legal strategy
would, from his perspective, have negated
any legitimacy to his hateful agenda. It
would have suggested that his racist
ideology was merely a product of a diseased
mind, not a valid political position. Even as
he stood firing round after round at his
helpless victims, Roof proclaimed, “I’m not
crazy,” according to witness testimony.
Roof’s refusal to mount a case against
death, to call any witnesses on his behalf,
wasn’t so much because of his stated desire
to spare his family the embarrassment. That
horse had long left the barn by virtue of his
atrocious crime. More likely, his posture
reflects a stoic readiness — as a young rebel
with a cause — to become a martyr. Like-
minded racists would view Roof as a hero,
and would invoke his name and the
government's attempt to silence him through
the death penalty, as a rallying cry for white
supremacy. As one skinhead vowed shortly
after the church shooting, “Dylann will be my
next tattoo .”
By virtue of his death sentence, Roof is
guaranteed greater celebrity. Any appellate
actions on his behalf and any steps in
preparation for his execution will undoubtedly
be publicized widely along with a reminder of
his offensive motivation for the assault.
Having him instead reside for the rest of his
life behind prison walls in obscurity would
have been a far more palatable outcome.
Could we let the mob decide parole?: James
Alan Fox
Black Americans choose life for Dylann Roof:
Ellis Cose
Just as Roof rejected the idea of claiming
mental illness as defense or mitigation, the
government rejected an offer for him to plead
guilty in exchange for a life sentence.
Although the prosecution was successful in
seeking the death penalty, the trial was
costly in more than just a monetary sense.
We were already well aware of Roof’s
despicable attitudes toward blacks,
Hispanics, Muslims, Jews, feminists and
gays. But thanks to the prosecution’s
decision to have Roof’s jailhouse journal read
into evidence during the trial’s penalty phase ,
his hateful musings became quoteworthy
material for major news outlets around the
country.
Of course, Roof is hardly the first to have his
anger-filled opinions disseminated widely on
the coattails of a killing spree. Our collective
fascination with bizarre crimes — cleverly
repackaged as a desire to understand
aberrant behavior — has us as a willing
audience for all sorts of violent malcontents.
But we must avoid lending any credibility to
such rants and raves.
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