Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof won’t submit evidence or call any witnesses
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Reporting from Charleston, S.C. — Dylann Roof has told a judge he plans on calling no witnesses and presenting no evidence to try to convince a jury to spare his life for killing nine black Charleston church worshipers in a hate crime.
Roof told U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel at a hearing Wednesday he still plans to act as his own lawyer when the penalty phase of his federal death penalty trial begins next Tuesday.
Roof is acting as his own lawyer after letting go of his defense attorneys after a jury convicted him of 33 counts of hate crimes and obstruction of justice earlier this month.
Roof’s lawyers say they think he got rid of them because they wanted to present what Roof thought was embarrassing evidence seeking to get the same jury to spare his life.
Gergel told Roof to talk to his grandfather, who is a lawyer, and other family members one last time. He says Roof can change his mind and bring back his attorneys until opening statements next week.
There also was argument from Roof about mystery evidence, such as a photograph prosecutors want to show and video from jailhouse visits. Specifics were not given in court.
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