Tennessee Church Shooter Gets Extra 291 Years in Prison
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A man imprisoned for life for shooting up a Tennessee church in 2017 has had 291 years added onto his sentence.
The Tennessean reports Emanuel Kidega Samson was sentenced Tuesday on an additional 42 counts including attempted murder and civil rights intimidation. Judge Cheryl Blackburn read aloud each offense against attendees of the Nashville church, describing the attack as terrorism.
The 27-year-old man was sentenced in May to life without parole for murdering Melanie Crow, who was shot in the head as she walked to the church.
Defense attorney Jennifer Thompson said Samson wanted to apologize Tuesday, but suffered "incredible stage fright" and stayed silent.
Investigators found a note suggesting Samson, a black man, attacked the white churchgoers as retribution for the slayings of nine black churchgoers in South Carolina.