Post by Logan on Jun 8, 2016 1:05:49 GMT -6
November Trial Scheduled for Dylann Roof in Charleston Church Killings
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A federal judge on Tuesday scheduled a November trial for Dylann S. Roof, a white man accused in the massacre of nine African-American worshipers at a prominent church here a year ago, and suggested that up to 1,500 prospective jurors might be called statewide to fill out a panel.
With the decision, Judge Richard M. Gergel of Federal District Court turned down an earlier request by the state prosecutor, Scarlett A. Wilson, to allow the state trial, which was scheduled for January, to go first. The death penalty will be sought in both trials. The effect on the state’s case is unclear.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Mr. Roof sat impassively in front of members of the victims’ families, as well as journalists and spectators as Judge Gergel questioned his lawyers and the Justice Department on whether they would be ready for a Nov. 7 trial.
Federal prosecutors last year filed a 33-count indictment against Mr. Roof, who prosecutors say sat in a Bible study class at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church for about an hour before opening fire. In announcing their plan to seek the death penalty in a filing on May 24, prosecutors cited nine aggravating factors, including that Mr. Roof had “expressed hatred and contempt towards African-Americans as well as other groups, and his animosity toward African-Americans played a role in the murders charged in the indictment.”
Read more: www.nytimes.com/2016/06/08/us/november-trial-dylann-roof-charleston-church-killings.html
CHARLESTON, S.C. — A federal judge on Tuesday scheduled a November trial for Dylann S. Roof, a white man accused in the massacre of nine African-American worshipers at a prominent church here a year ago, and suggested that up to 1,500 prospective jurors might be called statewide to fill out a panel.
With the decision, Judge Richard M. Gergel of Federal District Court turned down an earlier request by the state prosecutor, Scarlett A. Wilson, to allow the state trial, which was scheduled for January, to go first. The death penalty will be sought in both trials. The effect on the state’s case is unclear.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Mr. Roof sat impassively in front of members of the victims’ families, as well as journalists and spectators as Judge Gergel questioned his lawyers and the Justice Department on whether they would be ready for a Nov. 7 trial.
Federal prosecutors last year filed a 33-count indictment against Mr. Roof, who prosecutors say sat in a Bible study class at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church for about an hour before opening fire. In announcing their plan to seek the death penalty in a filing on May 24, prosecutors cited nine aggravating factors, including that Mr. Roof had “expressed hatred and contempt towards African-Americans as well as other groups, and his animosity toward African-Americans played a role in the murders charged in the indictment.”
Read more: www.nytimes.com/2016/06/08/us/november-trial-dylann-roof-charleston-church-killings.html