Dylann Roof, the radical white supremacist who killed nine people in a shooting at a black church in Charleston was found guilty by a South Carolina jury on Thursday.
After just a few hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Roof of nine counts of hate crimes resulting in death, three counts of hate crimes involving an attempt to kill, nine counts of obstructing the exercise of religion resulting in death, three counts of that charge with an attempt to kill, and nine counts of using a firearm to commit murder during a crime of violence, the New York Times reported.
The sentencing hearing will begin in January, when the same jurors will decide whether Roof will face the death penalty or life in prison.
Roof gunned down his victims during a prayer service at the historically black Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston on June 17, 2015. The 22-year-old former landscaper was captured following a manhunt.
A manifesto by Roof posted online revealed his white supremacist sentiments. “I have no choice,” the manifesto read. “I am not in the position to, alone, go into the ghetto and fight. I chose Charleston because it is most historic city in my state, and at one time had the highest ratio of blacks to Whites in the country.
“We have no skinheads, no real KKK, no one doing anything but talking on the internet,” it continued. “Well someone has to have the bravery to take it to the real world, and I guess that has to be me.”