Who is Franklin Roof? Dylann Roof's 'abusive' dad bought him gun used in Charleston church massacre
On June 17, 2015, Dylann Storm Roof waged a harrowing massacre on innocent churchgoers at a South Carolina church where the civilians had gathered for a Bible study. Dylann, who was 21 at the time, stormed into the church and shot all 12 members, including a little child at point-blank range. He managed to kill nine of them and was treated to Burger King on his way to prison before he also became the first person in the US to be sentenced with the death penalty for a federal hate crime.
Dylann was no impulsive shooter who woke up one day and decided to kill members of the Black community. His now-taken down website www.thelastrhodesian.com painted him in peak White supremacy - armed with guns, confederate flags, and a jacket sporting symbols of apartheid-era Africa and the former White supremacist Republic of Rhodesia. Those close to Dylann however had never allegedly noticed anything racist about the sullen-faced boy with the infamous bowl cut on his head. But much closer home, as it turns out, Dylann grew up in an atmosphere tainted by domestic violence and mental and physical abuse, thanks to his father Franklin Bennett Roof.
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Who is Franklin Bennett Roof?
It was Dylann Roof's father Franklin Roof who allegedly bought him the gun that he used to massacre nine churchgoers in Charleston, reported the Daily Mail. Fondly known as 'Benn' among his close ones, Frankling Bennett Roof fathered three children -- Amber and Dylann with his ex-wife Amelia Cowles, and Morgan, with his second ex-wife Paige Hastings. Despite not being their biological mom, Paige deeply cared for Dylann and Amber, raising them as her own along with Morgan, her young daughter with Bennett. In turn, the father of these children beat her up and allegedly hired a private investigator to follow her after the couple got divorced.
In 2008, Bennett moved their family of five back to South Carolina after three years in Florida, but his small construction company was struggling. Dylann was 14 at the time, and that was when his dad and stepmom's rocky marriage began to unravel. In the years to come and imminent the divorce proceedings between Paige and Bennett, she had alleged physical and mental abuse from the 52-year-old man. Photos of wounds and bruises on her body were also presented to the court to signify the intensity of the abuse she endured from the violent man.
According to Daily Mail, the tattoo-covered Bennett was emotionally and physically abusive to his young wife, Paige. He would routinely belittle her and that would often end in physical abuse. Paige, who accused Bennett of harrowing abuse, also called him controlling when she filed for divorce in 2008 itself, thus ending their 10-year old marriage. “I was so scared of him that I knew I had to get out of this violent situation,” Hastings wrote in court papers alleging she had been severely beaten by Bennett. The former couple's divorce was finalized in 2011 and the entire ordeal was allegedly quite a tumultuous time for Dylann.
Franklin Bennett 'got death threats'
Just days after his son went on a murderous rampage on a group of Black churchgoers in 2015, Bennett Roof called the police to his home in Columbia, South Carolina, as members of a group called the Black Panther Party were allegedly leaving him death threats. The New York Daily reported at the time "The victim states that individuals claiming to be with the Black Panther Party have called several times and left messages stating, 'I'm coming to see you real soon, buddy boy.'"
The claims were reported based on police records that also added "The victim states that another individual claiming to be from the Nation of Islam called and stated that they wanted to interview him and make sure his whole family was there. The victim states he believes that these phone calls are implied threats." Bennett also claimed that these threats have kept him from using his phone. "The victim states that whenever his phone is turned on, that he is constantly receiving calls from restricted numbers that are making harassing comments with implied threats to harm, with the intent to intimidate him and his family," reveal police records. "He has to keep his cellphone turned off in order to stop the calls from coming in. The victim is concerned for his safety as well as his family safety," the records added.
Bennett's son Dylann, who sits on death row for the execution of nine people, has appealed to have his death sentence vacated on the grounds of 'mental illness'. His appellate team is expected to present their arguments in court on Tuesday, May 25.