Roof, who was convicted last month of all 33 federal charges against him, faced either life in prison or execution for the slayings on June 17, 2015.

The 22-year-old, who is white, is the first person to get the death penalty for federal hate crimes.

The jury in Charleston reached a decision after about three hours of deliberations on Tuesday.

Earlier on Tuesday, Roof threw away his one last chance to plead for his life in front of the jurors, telling them: "I still feel like I had to do it.

"I have the right to ask you to give me a life sentence, but I'm not sure what good it would do anyway," Roof said.

The attacker specifically picked out Emanuel AME Church, the South's oldest black church, to carry out the massacre, Assistant US Attorney Jay Richardson said.

The 12 people Roof targeted on June 17, 2015, opened the door for a stranger with a smile, he said. Three people survived the attack.

The gunman sat with the Bible study group for about 45 minutes. During the final prayer - when everyone's eyes were closed - he  started firing. He stood over some of the fallen victims, shooting them again as they lay on the floor, Richardson said.

Roof did not explain his actions to jurors, saying only that "anyone who hates anything in their mind has a good reason for it". In his FBI confession, Roof said he hoped the massacre would bring back segregation or start a race war.

Roof acted as his own attorney and did not question any witnesses or put up any evidence.

-News24.com