A federal jury on Thursday found white supremacist Dylann Roof guilty of murdering nine churchgoers at a historic black church in South Carolina in June 2015.
The jury found Roof guilty on 33 counts, including hate crimes against all nine victims who died as well as the three victims who survived the massacre.
The victims were all parishioners of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
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The jury began its deliberations after again watching a video in which Roof, 22, confessed to the murders to FBI agents. Roof, who represented himself at his trial, confessed his crime to investigators 18 months ago and explained why he chose Mother Emanuel AME as his target. Prior to carrying out the massacre, Roof penned an overtly racist manifesto online. Roof’s embrace of white supremacy ultimately led to South Carolina removing the Confederate flag from the state capitol.
Roof now faces either life in prison without parole or the death penalty. The same jury will convene on Jan. 3 to decide Roof’s fate.
