Prosecutors say they need 7 days in SC church case

The trial of Dylann Storm Roof, charged with the June 17, 2015, murders at Emanuel AME Zion Church, begins Wednesday in Charleston. Homeland Security patrol the streets outside the Federal Courthouse Wednesday, Dec. 7, 2016, in Charleston, S.C., during Dylann Roof’s trial.

On the eve of jury selection, a federal judge in Charleston, South Carolina, denied Dylann Roof’s bid to have his trial delayed because of a mistrial in another case.

“We’ll prove cold, calculated killings”, Richardson said, adding that this would be a “long and difficult” trial.

“He pulled the trigger on that Glock.45 more than 70 times that night”.

“There wasn’t even nine people there!” he said, pausing.

The others dived for the floor, and Roof moved among them, reloading. The aftermath of the massacre and Roof’s claims led to the Confederate flag being lowered from State House ground. Roof’s lawyers said they worry jurors in their case may feel pressure from the community to make up for what some saw as injustice in Slager’s case.

“Who came in?” Richardson asked Sanders, as a somber, attentive jury watched.

Bruck says he may not call any witnesses during the guilt or innocence phase of the death penalty trial because there is little question Roof committed the slayings.

The killer’s defence team are instead fighting the death penalty sentence which the prosecution are pushing for.

“There is not any real dispute about the evidence at this point”, Bruck said.

In the months before the shooting, Roof “decided to attack African-Americans due to their race”, the indictment reads. Slager will be retried with a new jury at a later date.

Jurors should ask where Roof’s feelings of racial hatred came from, Bruck said. After being told the details, an agent asked how he felt. And he has agreed to testify during the penalty phase should prosecutors call him as a witness. Roof, wearing a gray striped prison jumpsuit, stared down at the table in front of him. Three others at the Bible study, including Felicia Sanders, 59, and her 11-year-old granddaughter, survived.

She also recalled how Roof sat silently in the church before opening fire.

After Roof was seated next to Pinckney, Sanders said, someone said something amusing and Roof chuckled.

And once the jury had seen their smiles and heard their stories, Richardson told them how they died. Jackson would organize hair appointments for members of a senior citizens home and made sure they took their medicine, Sanders said.

Her aunt, who was near her, was also hit by gunfire. They were gunned down during Wednesday Bible study as they bowed their heads for the closing prayer.

She texted him back, “yes”.

Sitting in a North Carolina police station less than 24 hours after the shooting, Roof appeared relaxed, snickering and jovial at times, as he detailed his crimes and the ideology that inspired them for a pair of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents. “To say I forgive …”

In an opening statement earlier this week, assistant U.S.Attorney Jay Richardson said Roof not only confessed, but gave chilling details on his preparation and his motivation for the attack when he spoke to law enforcement.

Moments before the killing, the group shut their eyes and began praying.

She said it was not unusual for visitors to be welcomed into Bible study.

“The second person shot was the Rev. Daniel Simmons, 74, who jumped up and went toward the fallen Pinckney, shouting, “‘Let me check my pastor. “I’m scared, ‘” Sanders said, her voice breaking as she continued.

Sanders was under a table. “It sounded nearly like a machine gun”.

“He had already shot Reverend Pinckney”, she said. I will never be able to hold her again. The grandchild told her “granny, I ” m so scared”, and Sanders told her to play dead.

“I muzzled her face to my body so tight, that I thought I suffocated her”, Sanders said.

He told Federal Bureau of Investigation agents questioning him that he could never look at the families of the victims.

Tywanza replied, “You don’t have to do this, we mean no harm”, Sanders said.

They said he told the parishioners he was killing them because blacks were raping white women and taking over the country. “There was a lot of shots, 77 shots in the room”.