Meanwhile, after being found competent to stand trial only a week ago -- THIS. What could possibly go wrong?
Emanuel AME church shooter Dylann Roof to represent himself in federal hate crimes trial
By Jennifer Berry Hawes | The Post and Courier | Updated November 28, 2016, 12:40PM A federal judge has ruled that accused Emanuel AME Church shooter Dylann Roof can represent himself in his federal death penalty trial, potentially allowing the self-avowed white supremacist to question the shooting survivors and nine victims' family members if they are called to testify.
Roof made the last-minute request as jury selection was set to begin this morning. U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel cautioned Roof against serving as his own attorney, noting his defense team's considerable legal expertise, but ultimately granted the request. He noted that Roof has a constitutional right to represent himself.
"I do find defendant has the personal capacity to self-representation," Gergel said. "I continue to believe it is strategically unwise, but it is a decision you have the right to make."
Roof, garbed in a striped grey-and-white jail uniform, answered the judge's questions with "yes, sir" in a quiet, raspy voice. After Gergel's ruling, he smiled slightly as he returned to his defense table but showed no other obvious emotion. He then sat in the front-and-center seat as his lead lawyer, renowned capital defense attorney David Bruck, scooted over. Roof told the judge that he wanted his attorneys, who will act as "stand-by counsel" now, to sit at the table with him.
At one point, Bruck stood to object to a potential juror after the court had moved on to consider others without Roof objecting. The judge admonished Bruck and told him to sit down and confer with Roof.
“Mr. Roof elected to self-represent,” Gergel said.
The first panel of 10 prospective jurors brought in Monday morning were all white and appeared to be middle-aged or older. Filling three rows in the audience, an all-black group of shooting survivors, families of the nine dead, and the pastor of Emanuel AME listened attentively with no outward reactions to news that Roof would be acting as his own attorney.
[...]
Gergel and attorneys in the case begin to winnow the field of 512 people who made that latest cut. Every day, they will question two panels of perspective jurors, with 10 members in each, until 70 remain. The final jury will comprise 12 jurors and six alternates.
That process could take several weeks, potentially pushing the start of testimony into the new year.
More at link:
http://www.postandcourier.com/church_sh ... 4ed6a.html