title:  BREAKING: DOJ To Seek Death Penalty For Charleston Church Shooter
text: Almost a year ago, a deranged white supremacist went into an historic Black church in Charleston, South Carolina and killed nine people, including the pastor who was also a state senator. To make things worse, the gunman, Dylann Roof, sat with the parishioners at their Wednesday night Bible study and worshipped with them after they welcomed him into their midst. Then, he went on a bloody massacre after expressing that racist hatred was the reason for his carrying out the crime.Now, nearly a year later, federal prosecutors are looking to seek the death penalty against Roof for his deadly rampage. Attorney General Loretta Lynch said that her review of Roof s crimes was  rigorous  before she made the decision to attempt to have him executed. Lynch went on to say that  the nature of the alleged crime and the resulting harm compelled this decision. Authorities say that the following factors make the case eligible for the ultimate punishment:The victims  families were informed of the decision to move forward with the death penalty on the federal charges via a conference call. Steve Schmutz, who is the legal representative of three of those families, says of the decision: The families will support this decision. Really, I think the families have mixed emotions about the death penalty. But if it s ever going to be given, this case certainly calls for it. He is right, of course. Prior to going on his killing spree, Roof wrote a long, hate-filled, rambling manifesto that is arguably one of the most hateful documents ever posted on the internet. There s no doubt in anyone s mind as to what he did and why.Now, personally, I am usually 100% against the death penalty. State sanctioned killing is barbaric, and there have been too many botched executions to truly support it here. Murdering a murderer makes us no better than he is, especially if it is done in an inhumane and torturous way. However, if anyone deserves it, it is this piece of shit. This guy literally murdered people due to the color of their skin, and no other reason. Further, he picked the historic Emanuel AME Church so that he could  magnify the societal impact  of his horrific crime. He knew the history of Charleston with regards to the freeing of slaves and the liberation of Black people, and he knew the history of that church.This one is difficult for me. As a liberal, I don t support the death penalty. But, as a Black woman living in South Carolina, I know the level of racism present here. This is one time I really can t say that Loretta Lynch or anyone else is wrong.Rot in hell, Dylann Roof. It s definitely where you belong.Featured image via screen capture from Twitter