Dylan Roof Research Paper

On June 15, 2015 Dylan Roof open fired during a study group at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., which he had been a part of for about an hour prior to the shooting that resulted in the killing of nine individuals. Roof has a history of racial intolerance and it is speculated that he chose to shoot at Emanuel AME Church due to it’s rich history in equality of blacks in America. He is facing 33 charges including murder, attempted murder, hate crimes and obstruction of the practice of religion, some of which are eligible for the death penalty. Should Roof receive the death penalty? This question arose after the Boston Marathon bombing as well and is a very controversial topic, should one who deliberately killed multiple people be punished by being killed too?
In this case, the prosecution may bring up point such as his past. Roof has been pictured holding a Confederate flag while burning a U.S flag. A manuscript was also found in which roof wrote about his hatred of integration and used insulting terms to refer to blacks, as well as acknowledge crimes against white people. As of now, it is unknown whether Roof will plead guilty or not, although it is speculated he will plead guilty to avoid the death penalty, if he is faced with it. If the government chooses to seek the death penalty, he could be put to death simply because his lawyers, who are being paid for by the state, were not as skilled as they needed to be to lessen his punishment. When looking at the big picture, there is simply no reason to execute Dylan Roof. He took the lives of many innocent people in what is supposed to be their safest place, but this does not mean another person’s life should be taken. When all the factors are taken into consideration, legality, cost, appeals and fairness, it becomes clear that executing Roof would not accomplish