Church members join relatives in grief, anger at gunman
Church members join relatives in grief, anger at gunman
Along with the 32 family members of victims, three people connected to Emanuel AME Church spoke as Roof was formally sentenced to death Wednesday in federal court.
"When you have attended nine wakes and nine funerals, it is heartbreaking," said Ruby Martin, the most senior member of the church who admitted it took her several weeks after the 2015 shootings before she could go back.
Emotions expressed at Wednesday's hearing included laughter and tears; love and hate; anger and forgiveness; despair and hope.
A jury sentenced Roof to death Tuesday on hate crime and obstruction of religion charges.
The 22-year-old avowed white supremacist didn't look at Gergel, just as he refused to meet the gaze of anyone who spoke Wednesday, including Janet Scott, an aunt of 26-year-old Tywanza Sanders, the youngest victim killed in the June 17, 2015, massacre.
Scott talked about her nephew's "great big heart," which could not be donated because of the police investigation.
When he was arrested, Roof told FBI agents he wanted the shootings to bring back segregation or perhaps start a race war.