He attended a Bible study group before opening fire. Roof told at least one survivor that he was letting her live so she could tell others what happened. "But what I meant when I said that was, I felt like I had to do it, and I still do feel like I had to do it".
"I was just waiting on my turn", she added.
After a closed-door meeting on November 7, Roof's lawyers pleaded with the judge to delay planned jury selection in the case so Roof could undergo an extensive mental competency review. "Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me". And while Joe Roof was pained by what has happened, he acknowledged that the system has worked. He planned to start a race war. Among the unsealed items is a handwritten letter roof sent to the U.S. Attorneys Office in Charleston.
Roof, 23, pleaded guilty to all state charges for shooting nine people at a predominantly black church in the city during a prayer service. I will not open that book again. "And have mercy on your soul".
Anthony Thompson, the husband of victim Myra Thompson, said, "I forgive you".
The move lets Roof avoid his second death-penalty trial buys him the 9th life sentence and leaves him awaiting execution in federal prison.
"I was lied to repeatedly in order to get me to speak to mental health experts", Roof wrote in early November as his lawyers were mountain a behind-the-scenes effort to get mental health evidence into evidence in the then-upcoming trial.
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Marina Ramos told KABC that she rushed to the school to try to pick up her grandson. According to The Washington Post, he declined an opportunity to address the court after the friends and families of his victims spoke. In the video Roof laughed as he admitted to the shooting. "Mr. Roof, your senseless actions did not work", he said.
Defense attorney David Bruck said in court that Roof committed the crime but the trial involves understanding "who this person was and why on earth he would want to cause so much grief".
Roof will likely now be transferred to federal death row in an in facility. Since the federal death penalty statute was reinstated in 1988, only three inmates have been put to death, and the last execution was more than a decade ago.
Until now, the items were kept from public view to protect Roof's right to a fair trial. "We visit the crime scene every day". He said those documents will remained sealed but the federal court judge may release them after they have been redacted.
Roof was convicted in the massacre that saw nine African-American parishioners gunned down. And he did so to interfere with their peaceful exercise of religion.
"The impact to Mother Emanuel has been far reaching".
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