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PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 12:08 pm 
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Dylann Roof to judge: Let lawyers back on death penalty case
By AP | FOX News | December 5, 2016

COLUMBIA, S.C – The white man charged with the shooting deaths of nine black parishioners at a South Carolina church asked a judge on Sunday if he could have his defense team back, at least temporarily.

In a handwritten request, Dylann Roof asked U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel to bring his defense team back on board for the guilt phase of his federal death penalty trial, which begins this week in Charleston.

"I would like to ask if my lawyers can represent me for the guilt phase of the trial only," Roof wrote. "Can you let me have them back for the guilt phase, and then let me represent myself for the sentencing phase of the trial? If you would allow that, then that is what I would like to do."

Death penalty cases are split into two parts: the guilt phase, and then a separate portion that focuses on whether or not the defendant will be sentenced to death or life in prison.

More at link: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2016/12/05/dy ... -case.html


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 12:09 pm 
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Dylann Roof Allowed to Hire Lawyers Back, for Now
By Jeffrey Collins, AP | ABC News | December 5, 2016, 10:50AM ET


A federal judge has allowed a white man accused of fatally shooting nine black parishioners at a Charleston, South Carolina, church to hire back his lawyers, at least for the first phase of his trial.

Dylann Roof asked U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel over the weekend if he could use his attorneys during the guilt phase, but still be his own lawyer during the penalty phase. Prosecutors have asked for the death penalty.

Gergel agreed Monday, but warned Roof that he can't change his mind again. Last Monday, the 22-year-old Roof fired his high-powered legal team and handled the selection of a pool of 67 potential jurors himself.

More at link: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/dyla ... g-43976657


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 12:50 pm 
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A pre-trial hearing was held this morning.

    - Roof's standby defense filed motion to drop indictment charges. It was denied.

    - The judge strongly suggested to Roof that he allow his attorneys to also represent him in the sentencing phase.

    - David Bruck takes over as lead counsel for Roof in the guilt phase.

    - The jury strike process will begin on Wednesday at 9:00AM. The judge will bring in all 67 potential jurors at once and expects a speedy process.

    - Opening statements will begin following jury strikes. Judge wants opening statements to be "vanilla" and more details put into closing.

    - Sequestration of witnesses with exception of Roof's family and three Govt witnesses.

    - All exhibits will be made public except for crime scene photos.

    - Govt expects their case to take 7-8 days. Defense: "very little additional time."


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PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 4:03 pm 
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This case is hard to wrap my mind around. Perhaps I am just that stupid.

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 05, 2016 4:16 pm 
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Nah, you are certainly not stupid. :)

Roof is being tried in Federal and State Courts. This one now, is the Federal Court, no cameras. There have been major delays so far and hopefully this one will be carried out quickly.


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PostPosted: Thu Dec 15, 2016 4:27 pm 
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GUILTY ON ALL COUNTS!


Guilty on 33 counts relating to murder of 9 people

Penalty phase still to come in January, 3rd.
Roof says he wants to represent himself for that. It has been allowed, but we'll see.


Blog updates

The Latest: Jurors Reach Verdict in Dylann Roof Case
By The Associated Press
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Dec 15, 2016, 3:20 PM ET

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/late ... d-44214049

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PostPosted: Thu Dec 29, 2016 2:29 pm 
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Judge orders new competency hearing for convicted Charleston church shooter
By Patrick Phillips | Live5News.com | December 29, 2016


CHARLESTON, SC (WCSC) - The judge in the federal death penalty trial of the man convicted in the Charleston church shooting has ordered a new competency hearing for Monday.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel scheduled a hearing for Monday at 9 a.m. to consider a new motion filed by Dylann Roof's standby counsel David Bruck.

Gergel has also scheduled a hearing to begin at 8:30 a.m. to allow members of the public to express objections to close 9 a.m. hearing.

The order said Judge Gergel intends to rule on the defendant's competency from the bench, with a written opinion to follow. If the competency hearing is closed, the judge will also issue a brief order shortly after the hearing to communicate his ruling on the defendant's competency.

The order added that "at this point, the Court finds no reason to cancel or delay the sentencing trial scheduled to commence on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m."

More at link: http://www.live5news.com/story/34148377 ... ch-shooter


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 03, 2017 1:20 am 
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Forgot where this came from, it's been sitting on my Wordpad all day.

Quote:
January 2, 2017

Following an early six-hour long hearing Monday, Judge Richard Gergel issued his ruling that Dylann Roof is competent to stand trial and represent himself during the penalty phase.

Roof has previously said he does not intend to call witnesses.

The penalty phase will now begin as scheduled on Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.

The same jury who will decide his ultimate fate, found Roof guilty on December 15 of nine counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder, as well as multiple hate crime charges.


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PostPosted: Wed Jan 04, 2017 6:22 pm 
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This is how the penalty phase started out today.
I'll post again when there is a verdict.

Dylann Roof, Addressing Court, Offers No Apology or Explanation for Massacre
By Alan Blinder and Kevin Sack | The New York Times| January 4, 2017


CHARLESTON, S.C. — Sometime in the six weeks after he killed nine Bible study worshipers at this city’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, Dylann S. Roof wrote in a journal that he had “not shed a tear for the innocent people I killed.” On Wednesday morning, standing before the jurors who will decide whether he should be put to death, Mr. Roof again offered no apology, no explanation and no remorse for the horrific massacre.

In a strikingly brief opening statement in the penalty phase of his trial in Federal District Court, where he is representing himself, Mr. Roof repeatedly assured jurors that he was not mentally ill, and left it at that. “There’s nothing wrong with me psychologically,” he said, of a factor that could determine life or death, before striding back to the defense table, taking a deep breath.

By then, Courtroom No. 6 had already been jarred by a reading of two pages from Mr. Roof’s journal, a white supremacist manifesto written in Charleston County’s jail.

“I would like to make it crystal clear I do not regret what I did,” Mr. Roof wrote in the journal, which officials seized in August 2015 and a prosecutor introduced during his opening statement. “I am not sorry.”

Mr. Roof, who was then 21, also wrote: “I do feel sorry for the innocent white children forced to live in this sick country and I do feel sorry for the innocent white people that are killed daily at the hands of the lower race. I have shed a tear of self-pity for myself. I feel pity that I had to do what I did in the first place. I feel pity that I had to give up my life because of a situation that should never have existed.”

As he began to lay out the government’s case for a death sentence, the prosecutor who read from the journal, Assistant United States Attorney Nathan S. Williams, told the jury of 10 women and two men that Mr. Roof’s killing spree had been a premeditated act that had devastated the families of his victims.

“The defendant didn’t stop after shooting one person or two or four or five; he killed nine people,” Mr. Williams said, a few moments before he declared: “The death penalty is justified.”

Later, aided by a slide show of pictures, he described each of the victims and their lives.

More at link: http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/04/us/dy ... ncing.html


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 5:32 pm 
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VERDICT reached... announcement pending

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 5:39 pm 
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Carter Coyle Live 5
rough transcript of what Dylann Roof just told the jury in his death penalty sentencing closing argument.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 5:50 pm 
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Jury unanimously finds all of these non-statutory aggravating factors beyond a reasonable doubt.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 5:51 pm 
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Verdict ... DEATH

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 6:11 pm 
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GOOD! Thanks, Rumpole.

I wish they would do away with the State trial and let the victims' families participate in a firing squad.


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PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 6:15 pm 
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You mean they still have to try him in State trial?

Seems a waste... even if he sits in jail now for years arguing.

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PostPosted: Tue Jan 10, 2017 6:46 pm 
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I don't know, I may be wrong. ;)

I'll check and see what happens now, other than an automatic appeal.

eta:
Yes, he was also set to be tried on state murder charges later this month, and prosecutors have said they'll also seek the death penalty in that case. On January 5, a judge delayed the state case indefinitely.


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PostPosted: Sun Feb 12, 2017 4:05 pm 
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This is absurd. :doh

Convicted church shooter Dylann Roof wants new federal trial
By Meg Kinnard | AP | February 12, 2017 12:39 PM EST


COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Convicted Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof has asked for a new federal trial, saying prosecutors didn't have jurisdiction to bring their case against him.

Roof's attorneys made that request Friday, claiming the government failed to prove his use of the internet, highways and a gun manufactured out of state were sufficient enough links to allow religious obstruction charges.
[...]
In the motion, Roof's attorneys argued his case happened entirely in South Carolina and involved only "incidental and everyday use" of areas affected by the commerce clause, like the internet or purchases from another state. The argument mirrors ones made by Roof's attorneys during his trial.

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel overruled those challenges and allowed all of the charges against Roof to stand.

More at link: http://bigstory.ap.org/cdbaf1cd793d4b44ab1a45a1a54cd1bd


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PostPosted: Tue Feb 28, 2017 3:13 pm 
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His sentencing is scheduled for Thursday, March 2.

Stiff sentence sought for Dylann Roof’s friend
By AP | Counton2.com | February 28, 2017


CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) – Federal prosecutors want a stiff sentence for a friend of Dylann Roof who didn’t report Roof’s plans to kill black church worshippers in South Carolina.

In court papers filed Monday, prosecutors said Joey Meek knew the full scope of Roof’s hatred and desire to start a race war by killing people inside an AME church in Charleston.

Prosecutors say Meek needs a harsher punishment than what’s in federal guidelines to serve as an example and to fully account for the horrible nature of Roof’s massacre.

The court papers don’t specify the guidelines for Meek’s sentence, but they appear to land between about 2 ½ and 3 ½ years in prison. The maximum sentence is eight years.

More at link: http://counton2.com/2017/02/28/stiff-se ... fs-friend/


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PostPosted: Sat Mar 04, 2017 3:00 pm 
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Meek's attorney have until March 10 to file a motion.

Sentencing delayed for Roof's friend as he apologizes
By Jeffrey Collins, AP | ABC News | February 28, 2017


The sentencing of Dylann Roof's friend for failing to report on his plans to kill black worshippers at a Charleston church is being delayed after prosecutors asked for a stiffer sentence.

Joey Meek was supposed to face U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel on Thursday, but Gergel ruled on Tuesday that his lawyers could have about two weeks to respond to prosecutors, who called this week for a harsher sentence.

A defense motion made public Tuesday said the federal sentencing guidelines for Meek call for 27 to 33 months in prison. He is seeking a shorter sentence. The maximum is eight years behind bars.

The court papers included Meek's handwritten notes to the families of each of the nine people killed by Roof who was sentenced to death for the June 2015 massacre during a Bible study at Emanuel AME church. Each letter ends with Meek writing: "I ask for your forgiveness, but I don't expect it."

Also in the papers is a statement the 22-year-old high school dropout will likely read in court. He apologizes several times, said he fears he won't make it out of prison alive because someone will kill him for associating with Roof and he promises to mentor children and tell them to report any time someone speaks of harming others.

More at link: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/sent ... s-45863543


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PostPosted: Mon Mar 13, 2017 1:59 pm 
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Friend's failure to report Dylann Roof plot not enough for longer prison term, judge rules
By Andrew Knapp, Glenn Smith | The Post and Courier | March 13, 2017


A friend of Dylann Roof's cannot face a lengthier prison sentence because of his failure to report the plot to attack a Charleston church, a federal judge ruled Monday.

While he never alerted authorities when Roof confided those plans in him, Joey Meek did nothing to cover up his knowledge of the scheme, U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel said.

Meek never broke the law before Roof showed up and killed nine worshippers at the historically black Emanuel AME Church, the judge explained. Only after the massacre, when Meek told others not to report their strong suspicion that Roof had carried out the crime, did he break the law on misprision of a felony, Gergel said.

The judge's order Monday stated that prosecutors could ask for a longer prison term than sentencing guidelines suggest only because of Meek's conduct after the slayings. He rejected two other arguments.

More at link: http://www.postandcourier.com/church_sh ... 537e2.html


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