Dylann Roof has showed no remorse throughout his murder trial, a fact made evident by the shoes he’s been wearing to court. According to testimony by FBI agent Joseph Hamski, Roof’s shoes over the course of the last week were scrawled with racist symbols, the Associated Press reports.
Among the symbols drawn on Roof’s shoes were runes and Celtic crosses, both widely associated with the white supremacist movement.
Roof faces life in prison or the death penalty for shooting and killing nine black church members to death in 2015. He was convicted of 33 federal charges last month, and now awaits his fate, as family members of his victims tearfully testified about how the massacre has affected their lives.
The 22-year-old white supremacist has showed little interest in saving his own life, and has opted to represent himself throughout the final deliberation. Roof has refused to cross-examine any witnesses, and during a chilling opening statement, maintained that there was nothing wrong with him psychologically.
Along with Hamski’s testimony on Friday, the jury was also given pages taken from a 42-page journal found in Roof’s cell. “I think that once white nationalists have gained control of their respective countries, we should send troops, together, into South Africa to save the remaining whites and possibly help them reinstate a new white government,” one passage read.
In a previous journal passage, Roof admitted that he felt no remorse over the killings. "I do not regret what I did," he wrote. "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 county. I do feel sorry for the innocent white people that are killed daily at the hands of the lower races.”
It’s unclear when the jury is expected to decide Roof’s fate, but assistant US Attorney Nathan Williams believes there is no choice but to give him the death sentence. “The defendant didn't stop after shooting one or four or five people,” Williams said Wednesday. “That's why this case is worse. He killed because of the color of their skin. He thought they were less as people. He wanted to magnify and incite violence."
