White supremacist found guilty of murdering nine in Church Charleston massacre

White supremacist Dylan Roof has been convicted of gunning down nine black worshippers at a church in South Carolina.

The 22-year-old landscaper now faces the death penalty after being found guilty of the hate crimes.

In June last year he walked into Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church Charleston during a prayer service and opened fire.

Among those he murdered were the paster and a state senator. Roof later told investigators he wanted the world to know he hated black people.

He also said he chose the church for his attack as his victims were less likely to retaliate. During the attack he spared Polly Sheppard, 72, to tell the world about his crimes. She later testified against him during the trial.

[caption id="attachment_102869" align="alignnone" width="729"] Dylan Roof in court in July.[/caption]

Roof made no attempt to deny the killings, only entering a not guilty plea to avoid the death penalty. It took the jury just two hours to return their verdict after the weeklong trial.

The BBC reports that Roof stared straight ahead as he was found guilty of 33 counts.

Roof will be back in court on January 3 to start the hearing on his sentencing. He plans to represent himself as he pleads for his life, ignoring the advice of a judge that he should be represented by an attorney.