A federal jury deliberated for only three hours before recommending that the man who committed the Charleston massacre be put to death for the murder of nine people.
The jury was composed of 10 men and 2 women, and they rejected a half-hearted plea from Roof to spare him the death penalty, even as he admitted he still believed he had to commit the crime.
"In my confession to the FBI I told them that I had to do it, and obviously that's not really true. ... I didn't have to do anything," Roof said according to CNN. "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."
Roof then pointed out the futility of asking to be spared, saying "I have a right to ask you to give me a life sentence, but I'm not sure what good that will do anyway." He added that only one juror has to disagree with the others to keep him from facing the ultimate penalty.
Dylann's horrific crime followed upon his self-avowed white supremacist beliefs, which is why he targeted the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina. The historically black church is renowned for its long history defending African American rights.
