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Lawyers for Dylann Roof: Death Penalty Would Be “Cruel and Unusual”

HeadlineAug 02, 2016

Attorneys for accused killer Dylann Storm Roof have filed a motion arguing the death penalty would be an unconstitutional punishment for their client. In June of last year, Roof opened fire at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, killing nine black worshipers, including the pastor, Clementa Pinckney. Roof embraced white supremacist views and was shown in photographs posing with the Confederate flag. In a 30-page motion, Roof’s lawyers said the death penalty would constitute “cruel and unusual punishment,” because federal prosecutors have refused to accept offers for Roof to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence without parole.

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