If he is he needs to step down. I don't think he can be impartial.

because South Carolina will not be trying this domestic terrorism case

I am not always a big fan of the feds stepping in on local crime, but I think maybe they should have a permanent base in S.C.

which likely will result in the death penalty.

Based on the information out there now - I support putting him to death.

Death-penalty opponents, here is your case. I'll read your reasoned arguments on why he should live, but I don't expect to be convinced.

But killing, in almost all cases, is immoral ...

Yeah, I know you still want to kill ... I know ...

it's about (at least for me) a) whether the state should have the legal authority to kill safely incarcerated citizens under any circumstances and b) whether the taking of life for purely punitive reasons degrades our collective human dignity and moral standing in the world.

for me, the answer to a is no and the answer to b is yes.

each of us has to answer those for ourselves but those are my moral arguments, in addition to the basic reasons of errors of identity, non humane execution options, inequity of application, etc.

I categorically reject the characterization of the death penalty as "purely punitive" when it is in fact the only way to ensure that murder is prevented from killing again. Yes, I understand that many will contend that other prisoners deserve to be at risk from murder behind bars. I do not - they deserve to be safe from each other. And, there are cases of convicts serving life without parole murdering guards.

I take no pleasure in the death penalty; however, I believe it appropriate. More importantly, it's clear that the Constitution allows it.

of the lady...........what's her name.

and the prison screwed up which can happen anytime anywhere in any prison. So unless you're prepared to execute all of the prisoners, there will always be some risk in a regular prison. Although FYI no one has ever escaped from Supermax.

"locking them up for life" fixes the problem just isn't so.

There are those whose crime is especially horrific and death is appropriate. Executing those individuals absolutely deters them from killing again, whether in prison or on the outside.

If someone can cite a credible case where a someone committed another murder after their execution, I'll reconsider my position.

Does the SC shooter deserve death? On the face of it, it appears so. But that's why we have trials to judge mitigating vs. aggravating factors. So sitting here and making that judgment without any evidence but media reports is not the way to decide.

my gut says that there are certain things so heinous that those perps forfeit their right to live in a civilized society. but do i want my state to be able to strap them (or anyone) down and snuff them out? hell no. that power can be abused and we have seen it happen.

i think you're safe on the "coming back to murder after their execution" thing. although i am pretty sure it happened once on an episode of criminal minds.....

And, by the same token, killing this guy will not bring the nine back to life.
Death penalty is nothing more than state-sanctioned murder for revenge rather than justice.......but this is what I've said all along.

That explains a lot. In some of those states magistrates are barely a step above a Justice of the Peace and may not even have to be attorneys.

"There are approximately 300 magistrates in South Carolina, each serving the county for which he or she is appointed. They are appointed to four-year terms by the Governor upon the advice and consent of the Senate. Magistrates must also pass a certification examination within one year of their appointment. Magistrates generally have criminal trial jurisdiction over all offenses subject to the penalty of a fine, as set by statute, but generally, not exceeding $500.00 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or both. In addition, they are responsible for setting bail, conducting preliminary hearings, and issuing arrest and search warrants. Magistrates have civil jurisdiction when the amount in controversy does not exceed $7,500."

Source is the South Carolina Judicial Department website:

https://www.sccourts.org/magistrateCourt/

Comment - in some states, magistrates are appointed by judges. As noted above, in SC, they are appointed by the Governor and require Senate confirmation.

then can he plead not guilty?

Criminal law is a speciality of general law as transplant surgery is a speciality of general medicine.

this was over since he confessed. A big fat DUH from me.

Usually by now we would have seen their house, etc. plus information about the parents, siblings etc but nothing in this case.

but yeah, I was looking for background info too and there doesn't seem to be any. I wonder if there is $$$ in the family.

His dad came out and told the reporter to leave.

or at least, informed the authorities it was Dylann Roof's who did the shooting.

The uncle, Carson Cowles, expressed that Dylann Roof would receive "no sympathy" from the family, that he would "ride the lightening" (be executed), and if the uncle could, he'd pull the switch on him himself.

“He’s going to pay for what he’s done," said Cowles. "I'd pull the switch myself, if they'd let me.”


http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-dylann-roof-uncle-20150618-story.html

In every other similar case there is always something about the family, and what role if any they may have played in the situation. It's an omission that becomes more glaring every day, especially since the father gifted him the murder weapon.

I doubt he'd give a shit about the shooter's family. This is a racist judge, because, surprise, this is South Carolina and they've been getting away with it for years. Whether elected or appointed, he serves at the pleasure of the people of the state.

Did you hear any judge refer to the families of the black men
who were shot dead by white policemen victims?

I didn't

I don't even know what to say.

How about Tim McVeigh's family...victims too?

Utter BS

Only brown and black folks are to be feared and labelled terrorists, get with the program, people!

They are flooding the airwaves with grief & caring for the victims and their families..
This is about a judge not "American media outlets" . Take your tired stereotypes elsewhere.

It really highlights the racism, doesn't it?

Here in the south, when the chips are down, some people show their true colors right quick.

The only way to know if this was one time or if he says this in all cases is to read all the transcripts of the cases this judge presides over. All judges don't say the same thing.

and was seriously reprimanded by other DU'ers.

Apparently, we have some apologists--if not for Dylann Roof--at least for his
family here.

had those apologists here at DU. Trayvon Martin's murder was my wake up call. Don't sweat it, they can't help the hypocrisy. It's in the blood and culture of america. Just use your words carefully, do no personal attacks on individuals, you'll be okay. A lot of whining when that happens, even if deserved. I'm sure many on here relate to the roof family and their kid......no doubt.

They're not as hateful as the ones on the right, but they're inherently racist.

that's all. Left leaning "progressives" and "liberals have to do that, you know.

used the N word in 2003, as in there are ' four kinds of people...' Unbelievable. DU apologists for Zimmerman and others is very sick to hear.

White?

he has convenient eye holes on the part that goes down his back.

Last edited Fri Jun 19, 2015, 08:21 PM - Edit history (1)

have much respect for them. This boy had to have
been taught, by example, how to hate. Why was he
allowed to quit school? Why wasn't he working? Where
did he get the money for upkeep to his car? Why did his
parents give him money for a GUN when he had two
incidents with police months before his birthday?

Sorry, it was a huge insult for that judge to put those
people on the same par as "victims" as the nine people
who gave their life for being compassionate - and their
mourning families.

But I've seen too many parents on tv saying they didn't know where they went wrong or where their kid went wrong.

And I've watched kids vanish from my classroom, only to contact the parents. "I didn't know my kid wasn't attending." "I didn't know he was failing all his classes." "He dropped out when he could and I couldn't do anything." S. Carolina lets kids drop out when they reach their 17th birthday. One student worked hard to make peace with her parents; I last saw her the last day she was 17. On her 18th birthday, her friends said, she got up, got dressed, put her stuff in her car, withdrew from school and found an apartment.

Another girl dropped out of school when she turned 18. And moved in with her boyfriend, who was a few years older than her.

More than one set of parents has just said to let their kid fail. "Better he screw up his life now than when he's 25."

In some cases I simply couldn't find the parents. No Internet presence, their email addresses weren't working, their phones had changed or the kid had submitted data update cards that were willfully incorrect. In other cases I could only get through if I used my personal phone because the parents recognized the school's prefix.

And yet some of them continue to help their kid survive instead of becoming homeless and starving on the streets. Go figure, I guess some parents are just heartless bastards.

Of course, if it had gone the other way and they didn't help him--I'm assuming that they did here, but it's only an assumption--that would be the excuse for his behavior--his parents turned their backs on him. I had one kid who told me he would soon be turning 18 and his parents' birthday present for him was an empty U-Haul rental. His response was to get arrested and expelled from school two weeks before graduation. Catch-22. What's important is the blame.

I'm not going to sit in judgment of them until I know something about them. Even the Mullins guy who attended high school with him ... the high school Roof apparently attended through his sophomore year (he was a 9th grade repeater). That makes that guy's info what? Five years old? Like kids don't change from age 16 to 21.

didn't change between 16-21 except to turn into a virulent racist murderer and he did live at home.

of white privilege in action. No other reason for this type of insult to the families of the South Carolina Nine except that. The confederate flag of treason and kkk type racist hate flaps proudly in the wind at their statehouse.

before I would feel compassion for them. I have seen all too often how racism and bigotry is handed down from generation to generation. If they want to stay out of the limelight here, I would not go looking for them and digging up their past, but I find it hard to believe he just "went bad."

The judge is an ass and should not be on the case, imo. That was a disgusting display in front of the families who lost their loved ones.

- the air they breathe - thoughtless ignorant nurturing of hate and bigotry....it just comes natural...pathetic culture...

This guy obviously didn't hear the children of one of the slain victims - they have forgiveness in their heart for the person who took their mother from them - LOVE is stronger than hate....

another extension of white privilege as well as corporate greed.

"This could be my son."

It doesn't even have to involve any shooting. No matter what a black person did that might have been against the law (or were accused of doing when they WERE law-abiding), the entire black community would be "at fault" and the media would demand that "Black Leaders™" make some statement and take responsibility for the "inherent criminality" of the entire black race, and other such nonsense.

because the cops don't apprehend black people the same way they do white shooters. They almost forgot to put handcuffs on him before taking him away.

As someone who has a murderer in the family (through marriage), this is just wrong. Yes, it f**king hurt like hell to know that someone I loved could become so evil, and I feel much sorrow for my sister-in-law, his mother. But she gets to go visit him in jail and know that he has had life these past dozen years. But she is not the victim. The mother and family of the little girl who was killed are the victims.

This judge really kicked and majorly disrespected the families and friends of the people who are dead because of this evil doer. His family will know pain like they never knew, but they are not victims.

That miserable fuck. Why is he even allowed to hold a gavel?

nt

so that the next time someone asks "what is white privilege, we can offer crap like this to them, and them jam it down their throat when they still play stupid."

They would rather destroy you and themselves than live as you want.

I can't even comprehend that kind of thinking...

Imagine the shame, guilt and grief they must feel.

But in this case I am not sympathetic because:

1. his father gave him a (the?) gun even though he was a troubled kid

2. there is little chance he would be a racist if his family didn't raise him that way

Usually I am the only one (it seems) who feels compassion for the family of an accused murderer. The fact that a judge has taken pains to show public sympathy makes this absolutely REEK of racism.

Like Denis Leary said, "My kid is 2. The only thing he hates is naps."

and I have no doubt that his middle name "Storm" comes from the white racist group
"storm Front."

with money given to him as a birthday present.

Not that it justifies the magistrate's comments. Just correcting the record.

It's a 1:1 ratio now and black lives matter.

This moron sounds like he's stuck in the 1850's.

This is obviously tragic and people aren't made in a vacuum. But I have compassion for most families of both victims and perpetrators -no matter their color, creed, etc. Imagine if your brother, sister, ___ (fill in) did something horrific. We all have crazy family members. Just go to a Thanksgiving dinner. Would you want people judging and shaming you for something you didn't do? It makes me sick in my stomach and breaks my heart to read many of the posts above. Clean it up and remember your humanity -for ALL people. Then reach out to "ill" and misguided individuals and try and make the world you leave- better.
Stonecarver

since he gave him the gun.

He probably watches Faux News 24/7, and buys into their messages of hate. What a jackass. I really wonder if he would shed any tears if the killer was African-American? Probably not. How shameful.

it's an effing DISGRACE

I know I grew up totally different than my very conservative religious parents. They had zero influence on me except as an example of what not to be. I know many here with opposite political and racial views than their own parents too. So, his parents could have been totally against his viewpoints.

However, giving him a gun after previous issues with the police and knowing his viewpoints is either stupid or approval of his choices.

This time I'm making an exception and throwing some blame their way.