Dylann Roof will represent self in federal criminal case

The questioning of potential jurors will continue until a group of 70 individuals is qualified.

Three jurors have been qualified so far to sit on the panel that will decide the fate of a man charged with fatally shooting nine black parishioners at a SC church.

Roof consulted Bruck a few times as the first jurors were questioned Monday, objecting only once to say he was anxious about a potential juror’s comment that the crime was perhaps worse than others because it happened in a church.

Upon investigation of the massacre, authorities also found a manifesto online belonging to Roof, which had racist characterizations of black people, as well as photos of him holding a Confederate battle flag, and standing in front of a Confederate museum.

Roof’s decision to be his own attorney followed a three-week psychological exam and a hearing to determine his competence to stand trial.

The judge said he took the rare step of closing the hearing to the public and media because Roof made statements to a psychologist that might not be legal to use at his trial and could taint potential jurors.

A panel of 10 potential jurors entered the courtroom minutes later, all of them white and appearing to be at least 50 years old.

Roof offered to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence last week, but prosecutors refused the deal.

Roof is now pleading not guilty on charges including hate crimes, the shooting deaths of nine and the attempted murder of three.

Prosecutors say Roof had planned the attack for months and are seeking the death penalty.

Roof joins a long line of high-profile defendants who acted as their own attorneys, often with poor results.

Another juror was cut from the pool without objection after expressing opposition to imprisoning people for life without parole, because of the cost, while expressing support for the death penalty in murder cases.

There are legitimate reasons a person might want to act as his or her own lawyer, including reducing costs and saving time. That nearly always runs counter to the advice of lawyers, who urge them not to incriminate themselves. Yet still, the accused church shooter insisted on representing himself.

“It can seem beneficial. It’s Strategically unwise, but he has a constitutional right to make it”, Judge Gergel said.

This is a very rare move, but it’s a move that once it’s done – there is no turning back.

The police have said Roof sat with the Wednesday-night bible study group for at least an hour debating whether to shoot “because everyone was so nice to him”, NBC reported past year. He faces 33 federal charges, including hate crime violations, in addition to separate capital murder charges in state court.