Dylann Roof will be put to death for killing nine members of the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C. as they closed their eyes during a Bible study on June 17, 2015. He was found guilty of 33 counts, including hate crimes resulting in death and religious obstruction resulting in death, in December of last year.

The jury deliberated for three hours before handing down the punishment to Roof. According to the AP, the 22-year-old is the first to be sentenced to death for committing federal hate crimes.

Here's the report from The New York Times:

The jury of nine whites and three blacks, who last month found Mr. Roof guilty of 33 counts for the attack at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston, S.C., returned their unanimous verdict after about three hours of deliberations in the penalty phase of a heart-rending and often legally confounding trial.

He showed no expression as the verdict was announced. Two relatives exchanged a long embrace as the jury left the courtroom.

The guilt of Mr. Roof, who coolly confessed to the killings and then justified them without remorse in a jailhouse manifesto, was never in serious doubt during the first phase of the proceedings in Federal District Court in December. By the time the jurors began their deliberations on his sentence, it seemed inevitable that they would lean toward death, not only because of the heinous nature of the crimes but because Mr. Roof, 22, insisted on denying any psychological incapacity, called no witnesses, presented no evidence in his defense and mostly sidelined his court-appointed lawyers.

During the sentencing trial, Roof maintained, "I felt like he had to do it, and still do feel like I had to do it," even as he asked for a life sentence over death.

"From what I've been told, I have a right to ask you to give me a life sentence, but I'm not sure what good that will do anyway," Roof said during his closing remarks. "But what I will say is only one of you has to disagree with the other jurors."

Roof will be formally sentenced Wednesday morning, though Maurice Chammah, a criminal justice reporter for The Marshall Project tweeted a reminder that the federal government hasn't been able to carry out executions since 2010 due to difficulties in procuring lethal injection drugs. (h/t Jezebel)

South Carolina senator Tim Scott released this statement after the sentencing: