Dylann Roof, the White supremacist who killed nine people at the Charleston church in June 2015, does not seem to be on a path to tame his racist mindset. Roof informed officials at the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals that he wants to fire both his lawyers because one is Jewish and the other is Indian.
Roof requested new lawyers to be appointed for his Federal appeal case, saying that the current ones are his ‘political and biological’ enemies whom he cannot trust.
Dylan Roof’s Request
“My two currently appointed attorneys, Alexandra Yates and Sapna Mirchandani, are Jewish and Indian respectively. It is also a barrier to effective communication. The lawyer appointed to represent me at my federal trial was David Isaac Bruck, who is also Jewish,” Roof wrote in a hand-written request to the US 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“His ethnicity was a constant source of conflict even with my constant efforts to look past it. Because of my political views, which are arguably religious, it will be impossible for me to trust two attorneys that are my political and biological enemies,” he added.
The Charleston Church shooting
In a mass shooting episode, Roof killed nine people at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, United States, on the evening of June 17, 2015, during a prayer session. Police nabbed Dylan the next day, and earlier this year, the self-confessed white nationalist was sentenced to death.
During the trial, Roof confessed that he carried out the cold-blooded killings to trigger a racial war in the United States.
In the petition filed to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals on Sept. 18, Roof also expressed his concerns over his federal trial lawyer, David Isaac Bruck, a man of Jewish origin.
During Roof’s trial, Brooks tried to present evidence of mental illness and possible chances of autism in the attempt to get a life sentence for his client. This irked Roof and compelled him to represent himself during the hearing.
At one point of time, Roof informed Brook that he hates him, and will kill the lawyer if he gets out of jail, the Post and Courier reported.
Sapna Mirchandani and Alexandra Yates were appointed Roof’s attornies following his sentence in January 2017.