Post by Logan on Dec 3, 2016 17:00:26 GMT -6
Accused Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof competent to stand trial, judge rules
A federal judge on Friday ruled that Dylann Roof, the 22-year-old accused of killing nine parishioners in a Charleston, South Carolina, church last year, is competent to stand trial.
Jury selection will resume in the case on Monday with individual questioning of prospective jurors, the judge said.
U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel made the ruling in a three-page order that kept sealed exactly what he found, a step he said was necessary to make sure Roof gets a fair trial. Hearings on the matter were also conducted in secret.
"After carefully considering the record before the Court, the relevant legal standards, and the arguments of counsel, the Court now finds and concludes that the Defendant is competent to stand trial," Gergel wrote.
Read more: www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/11/25/accused-charleston-church-shooter-dylann-roof-competent-to-stand-trial-judge-rules/?utm_term=.466c36456dbf
A federal judge on Friday ruled that Dylann Roof, the 22-year-old accused of killing nine parishioners in a Charleston, South Carolina, church last year, is competent to stand trial.
Jury selection will resume in the case on Monday with individual questioning of prospective jurors, the judge said.
U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel made the ruling in a three-page order that kept sealed exactly what he found, a step he said was necessary to make sure Roof gets a fair trial. Hearings on the matter were also conducted in secret.
"After carefully considering the record before the Court, the relevant legal standards, and the arguments of counsel, the Court now finds and concludes that the Defendant is competent to stand trial," Gergel wrote.
Read more: www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/11/25/accused-charleston-church-shooter-dylann-roof-competent-to-stand-trial-judge-rules/?utm_term=.466c36456dbf