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Mass Murderer Dylan Roof will be his own lawyer for the trial

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S

Slayven

Member
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/alleged-charleston-church-shooter-dylann-roof-defends-himself-judge/

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Dylann Roof, the suspect in the shooting deaths of nine parishoners of a black church in Charleston, was granted permission by a judge on Monday to represent himself in his upcoming trial.

CBS Charleston affiliate WCSC-TV reports that Roof, facing 33 charges including hate crime and murder, told U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel that he has reviewed the order that declared him competent to stand trial, and that he felt ready to represent himself.

Gergel told Roof in court that he felt the decision to be “strategically unwise,” but he ultimately granted Roof permission to represent himself at trial. Roof’s previous attorneys will now serve as stand-by counsel, the judge told the defendant in court.

Noted death penalty attorney David Bruck slid over after the decision and let Roof take the lead chair. The lawyers can stand by and help Roof if he asks.
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Weird this is just now beginning to go to trail.
 
V

Vermillion

Banned
So... how does this work with trials like this, anyway? Couldn't it be more harmful to victims (or their parents, I guess) to be questioned/cross-examined by the person who directly ruined their lives?
 
G

Grym

Member
I mean why...?

Is he just gonna grandstand his hate-filled rhetoric as much as he can and martyr himself to become a KKK hero?
 
L

Linkyn

Member
Isn't this pretty much par for the course for shooters like this? Defend yourself so you get one last opportunity to share your 'message' with the world.
 
P

Plum

Member
I could make some jokes about this but frankly he doesn't deserve it. Hope he goes away for a very, very long time and since he's his own attorney I don't see it going any other way.
 
T

TheYanger

Member
Grym said:
I mean why...?

Is he just gonna grandstand his hate-filled rhetoric as much as he can and martyr himself to become a KKK hero?
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That was my thought. I mean, I'm glad he's going to be completely unable to effectively defend himself due to him being an idiot, but it just means he's going to spread bullshit - he was gonna be destroyed in court either way,but now he has more of a platform.
 
S

Slayven

Member
Joe Shlabotnik said:
The guy who shot a bunch of people on the Long Island Rail Road 20 years ago represented himself.

He was sentenced to 315 years to life.
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A similar example to this situation is Nidal Hasan, the Fort Hood shooter, reports Reid. He chose to represent himself despite no practical legal experience, and rather than cause a scene, he simply did little work during his trial, asking few questions, presenting little evidence. He ended up being given the death penalty.
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.
 
H

Hazmat

Member
SG-17 said:
He gets a soapbox this way.
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Yep. It's the only reason. He's insane and will take this as his last platform. It's best just to move along and ignore the trial, attention is what he wants. Either way, he's going to die in prison.
 
K

Kyuur

Member
In America, I wouldn't be surprised if someone on the jury would give him a free pass simply because he was "sticking it to the man" by representing himself instead of hiring a lawyer.
 
S

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Slayven said:
Weird this is just now beginning to go to trail.
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There was a lot to coordinate between SC officials and federal officials, and although they came up with a guilty -> life without parole plea, prosecutors don't want to accept it because they want death. Death penalty prosecutions are vastly more complex. This is about the normal amount of time a case like this takes.

jph139 said:
What are the odds he still gets a light sentence?
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He will either get life without parole or death, and I'd guess 80-20 towards death.
 
M

Massive Duck. C.M.

Banned
He'll deliver some claptrap about how America let him down and Trump supporters and their defenders will eat it up. He'll get a relatively short sentence and be treated like a star by the Aryan brotherhood in prison, then kill again after he gets out.
 
I

Imperfected

Member
Honestly, even if you could do a competent job defending yourself the judge would probably still slam you just to maintain the status quo.
 
T

titiklabingapat

Member
I would say this shouldnt be allowed but whatever, it's constitutional. He will try to make a spectacle of it all, exactly like he wanted.

I hope the judge orders a complete media blackout other than public record stuff.
 
N

NandoGip

Member
What kind of defense could he even use?

Let's not forget all the black-people killers that were let go.... I wish I could say I truly believe that he's going to get what he deserves. Such an open and shut case, but let's see what happens.
 
F

Furyous

Member
Kyuur said:
In America, I wouldn't be surprised if someone on the jury would give him a free pass simply because he was "sticking it to the man" by representing himself instead of hiring a lawyer.
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Yeah he should find a way to get 30 years or a life sentence due to the jury. If those people that took over the wildlife refuge can get off then the possibilty exists for Roof to get off.
 
T

TS-08

Member
TheYanger said:
That was my thought. I mean, I'm glad he's going to be completely unable to effectively defend himself due to him being an idiot, but it just means he's going to spread bullshit - he was gonna be destroyed in court either way,but now he has more of a platform.
Click to expand...

The judge can shut this stuff down though. The judge can hold him in contempt and can probably even revoke his right to self-represent if he decides to just spew irrelevant, racist rhetoric. The court doesn't have to tolerate his attempts to turn his pro se status into a platform just because he has a right to represent himself.
 
Velcro Fly

Velcro Fly

Member
He's going to be found guilty and sentenced to death but will die as an old man in prison because of all the appeals. And part of it is going to be because he represented himself.
 
entremet

entremet

Member
Massive Duck said:
He'll deliver some claptrap about how America let him down and Trump supporters and their defenders will eat it up. He'll get a relatively short sentence and be treated like a star by the Aryan brotherhood in prison, then kill again after he gets out.
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Seriously doubt he gets a short sentence. I mean, he killed 8 people.
 
J

Joe Shlabotnik

Banned
Like, I know we're all super jaded and the world's ending now and everything, but no, mass murderers who represent themselves don't get out of prison. Or off of death row.
 
B

badcrumble

Member
I'm glad his white supremacist website/manifesto was found and his insanity plea was ruined. White supremacists on Twitter were piiiiiiissed about that.
 
I

Imperfected

Member
Furyous said:
Yeah he should find a way to get 30 years or a life sentence due to the jury. If those people that took over the wildlife refuge can get off then the possibilty exists for Roof to get off.
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The jury can't really do anything to reduce his sentencing. They can only decide whether he's guilty or not, they have no power to even recommend punishment. So, they would have to go full moron and find him innocent of the charges.
 
Q

QuantumBro

Banned
Really wish the justice department would've accepted his guilty plea and let him rot with a life sentence. Especially when the victims did not want him to get it.
 
F

FlowersisBritish

fleurs n'est pas britannique
Upon some thoughts, all I can think is that he wants to use this as an excuse to go on a racist rant in front of an audience no sensible lawyer would ever let him do.
 
K

Kinyou

Member
silkysmooth said:
He's going to be found guilty and sentenced to death but will die as an old man in prison because of all the appeals. And part of it is going to be because he represented himself.
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I can see that happening but I'm not sure he could have that many appeals since it's unlikely that any kind of profound evidence would show up that casts doubt on his guilt.
 
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