Dylan Roof’s legal team filed a petition with the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, asking for a review of his claim that his trial and sentencing were flawed.
“The Panel’s decision conflicts with this precedent, opening the door to death sentences based on victims’ goodness and worth,” Roof’s lawyers wrote in a court filing. “Especially troubling, it sanctions reliance on victims’ religiosity as evidence of that heightened worth.”
Roof’s appeal will be heard before the entire court if the Fourth Circuit allows his request, and it will be his last chance before going to the Supreme Court.
Last month, the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his conviction and death sentence.
Roof was found to be competent to stand trial by a three-judge panel. They also dismissed his claim that the court failed to consider evidence of his purported mental disorder.
The judge wrote, “No cold record or careful parsing of statutes and precedents can capture the full horror of what Roof did. His crimes qualify him for the harshest penalty that a just society can impose.”
Roof opened fire on several Black parishioners attending Bible study at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015.
As the church prayed, he fatally shot nine members of the congregation. Roof told the victims that he was killing them because Black people were “raping our women and taking over the world.”
Discover more from Baller Alert
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
