Dylann Roof's Bid to Overturn Death Sentence Denied by Judge

Dylann Roof, who was convicted and sentenced to death for killing nine people at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston in 2015, recently had another motion to vacate his death sentence denied by a federal judge. Roof's defense team argued that his original trial was flawed due to alleged bias from the presiding judge, ineffective assistance by his trial lawyers, and constitutional violations related to jury selection and his right to represent himself. They also claimed that Roof's mental state, including a communication disorder, rendered him incompetent to participate in his own defense. Judge Richard Gergel dismissed the latest motion, stating that no new evidence or legal changes justified reconsideration, and reaffirmed the original decisions in the case. Roof has previously had similar appeals rejected by higher courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, and was not among federal death row inmates considered for sentence commutation. As a result, Roof remains on death row, with the court finding no merit in his latest arguments.