State prosecutor to seek death penalty for white man accused of killing 9 black churchgoers

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The state prosecutor in charge of trying Dylann Roof in what authorities have said was the racially motivated killing of nine black people inside of a Charleston church says the ultimate decision on what punishment to seek is in her hands.

Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said Thursday she'll seek the death penalty against 21-year-old Dylann Roof on nine state charges of murder. Investigators say Roof spent nearly an hour with the churchgoers at Bible study June 17 inside Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church before the shootings.

Wilson says it was such a heinous crime it deserves the ultimate punishment.

Wilson acknowledged some victims' families didn't want her to seek the death penalty.