On July 31, alleged Charleston gunman Dylann Roof pleaded “not guilty” to 33 federal charges, including hate crime and gun charges.
On June 17, Roof allegedly shot and killed 9 people at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church and was apprehended the next day during a traffic stop in Shelby, North Carolina. After the shooting, Fox 8 reported that a survivor said Roof allegedly let “her live to tell everyone else what happened.”
But on Friday, Roof plead “not guilty” to the federal charges against him. According to CNN, these included “federal hate crimes and firearms charges.” Although Roof faces a number of state charges as well, “South Carolina… doesn’t have a hate crime law,” so the federal hate crime charges are in lieu of such charges at the state level.
Roof was indicted on the 33 federal charges earlier this month. If found guilty, he will face life in prison or death. However, “federal prosecutors said they haven’t decided on whether to seek the death penalty.”
Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.
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