Dylann Roof to jurors: ‘I do not regret what I did’

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On Wednesday morning, Dylann Roof stood in front of the jurors in the sentencing phase of his trial to give no explanation or apology for his actions in killing nine churchgoers at a Charleston church.

“There’s nothing wrong with me psychologically,” told the jury during his brief opening statement.

Additionally, the jury heard excerpts from Roof’s journal, in which he wrote, “I would like to make it crystal clear I do not regret what I did. I am not sorry. I have not shed a tear for the innocent people I killed.”

“I do feel sorry for the innocent white children forced to live in this sick country and I do feel sorry for the innocent white people that are killed daily at the hands of the lower race. I have shed a tear of self-pity for myself. I feel pity that I had to do what I did in the first place. I feel pity that I had to give up my life because of a situation that should never have existed,” Roof continued.

Roof’s surprisingly short opening statement was the first time he had addressed the jurors directly in the trial. Rather than try to deny his actions, he said, “The point is that I’m not going to lie to you, not by myself or through somebody else.”