Dylann Roof Pleads Guilty To State Murder Charges

Convicted Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof, who shot and killed nine black churchgoer in 2015, pleaded guilty to murder charges on Monday in South Carolina.

Roof, 23, was given nine consecutive life sentences in prison, the Associated Press reported. Members of the historically black Emanuel AME Church testified at the hearing, describing the toll the shooting took on them and the church community.

Roof's sentence was described by prosecutors as a an insurance policy in case something happens to his federal death sentence. Roof was sentenced to death on federal hate crime charges in January. Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said that under the new administration she was confident that Roof's death sentence would be carried out.

Before the sentencing, Pastor Eric Manning, who currently leads the church's congregation, was quoted by the AP as saying that the church "visits the crime scene every day."

Roof will be taken to a federal prison in a different state where he will await his execution.

According to the Post and Courier, Roof didn't say much in the courtroom and heard words of forgiveness from family members of the slain.

"I’m the one who forgave you in the bond hearing, and I still do today," Nadine Collier, daughter of slain parishioner Ethel Lance, said of that early court proceeding, as quoted by the Post and Courier. "He came here to start a battle, but I win the war. ... This chapter in my life ... is closed. I will not open that book again."

Roof's grandfather, Joe Roof, said the convicted killer is "not all bad." He added that he was sorry for the families of the victims and that he and his wife pray for them every night.

"We have been distressed and just sick over what has happened to these families,"

Authorities say Roof sat through a prayer meeting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church before opening fire and killing nine in 2015.

Image Credit: (Grace Beahm/The Post And Courier via AP, Pool)