(Columbia, SC) -- The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear the appeal of the first person in U.S. history sentenced to death for a hate crime.
Dylann Roof was found guilty and sentenced to death murder of eight parishioners of the Mother Emanuel AME Church in South Carolina in June of 2015.
Prior to his sentencing, Roof fired his legal team and chose to represent himself at the hearing, reportedly to keep his defense team from revealing details of his mental state.
Court documents revealed that Roof was deemed mentally ill during his trial and had witnesses ready to testify to his mental state, but Roof himself chose not to call them to the stand.