Charleston Survivor: Dylann Roof Is 'Evil, Evil, Evil'
Dylann Roof Trial: He Is 'Evil, Evil, Evil' Says Survivor
Dylann Roof, accused of shooting dead nine people in a racially motivated attack on a historic black church in Charleston, has a "cold and hateful heart", prosecutors said at the opening of his trial.
Roof had elected to defend himself and dispense with his legal team, but changed his mind. He faces the death penalty if convicted.
The court heard moving testimony from survivors of the massacre. They told how Roof had come in and joined a Bible study. Rev Clementa Pinckney invited him to sit next to him and he remained seated for about 30 minutes before opening fire.
The mother of one victim, Tywanza Sanders, choked back tears as she called Roof "evil, evil, evil".
Felicia Sanders said: "I just thought he was somebody coming in to seek the word," adding that he chuckled during the class and "hanged his head down, most of the time, just the way he's doing now".
She said when the shooting started she first thought there was an electrical problem with a lift in the building.
Tywanza had already been shot, but stood up and tried to reason with Roof. His mother said Roof replied: "I have to do this." "And that's when he put about five bullets in my son," she said. She added: "I watched him take his last breath. I watched my son come into this world. I watched my son leave this life." She then burst into tears, leading the judge to adjourn proceedings.
Roof had prepared meticulously for the attack and written a manifesto of his racist beliefs. He had posed for pictures of himself with the US and Confederate flag and designed a white supremacist logo.
His lawyer David Bruck told jurors he might not call witnesses as there is little question Roof committed the crime. However, he said they should pay attention to "the little things" and use their "common sense" to try and work out what made Roof hate black people so much.
He said the jury should ask of Roof: "Who is he? Why did he do it? Where did this come from?
"Ask yourself where this extraordinary degree, this intense degree of hatred came from."
