Charleston Shooter Dylann Roof Will Defend Himself in Court

A United States Federal judge has ruled that Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who is the primary suspect in the shooting to death of nine black SC church parishioners a year ago, is mentally competent for trial.

Meanwhile, Roof also faces the death penalty in state court where authorities charged him with nine counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and a firearms charge. Supposedly some of Roof’s statements to a psychologist could taint potential jurors in the case. David Bruck, a lawyer for Roof, did not react to a message looking for input about Roof’s choice to speak to himself.

Dylann Roof will likely have an uphill battle in mounting his own defense.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson pointed out that Roof was being kept sufficiently in the loop with paper copies of all filings, a detail with which the judge agreed.

Artistic rendering of Dylann Roof as he appeared in court during a jury selection hearing in September 2016.

Jury selection, which was originally slated to begin November 7, restarted immediately after the decision to let Roof be his own attorney. But federal prosecutors have refused to take the death penalty off the table in the slayings at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. In Faretta v. California 422 US 806 (1975), the Supreme Court ruled quite emphatically that the Sixth Amendment clearly means that people accused of crimes have the right to refuse representation just as much as they have a right to be represented. Gergel will question two panels of 10 potentials a day, according to the Charleston Post and Courier, until a pool of 70 remain. Just just last week, Roof was found mentally competent to stand trial, where he will face the death penalty.

“The federal hate-crime charges against Roof “center on both the victims” race and their identity as churchgoers who were attempting to follow their religious beliefs when Roof attacked.’ At the time, [Attorney General Loretta Lynch] called hate crimes ‘the original domestic terrorism'”.

For his part, Roof participated more in Tuesday’s hearing than the previous day, sometimes conferring with Bruck and other lawyers but also consistently standing to address the judge.

Roof, 22, did not say why he wanted to take the lead in his case.

Moments later, the screening of potential jurors began. Before a break at about 10:40 a.m. ET, two others were qualified and four were struck, a lot of them for unwavering feelings on the death penalty. For months, Roof’s lawyers have said in court he will plead guilty in exchange for being allowed to serve life in prison without chance of parole.

All of the qualified jurors are white women.

The final jury will have 12 jurors and six alternatives. That trial is scheduled to start in January.