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Jury selection canceled for closed hearing in South Carolina church shooting
Source: Reuters
U.S. | Mon Nov 7, 2016 | 10:21am EST
Jury selection canceled for closed hearing in South Carolina church shooting
By Harriet McLeod | CHARLESTON, S.C.
A federal judge canceled jury selection on Monday to hold a closed hearing in the U.S. death penalty trial for a white man charged with hate crimes after the shooting deaths of nine black parishioners at a historic South Carolina church last year.
Dylann Roof, who is accused of holding white supremacist views, was indicted on 33 federal counts of hate crimes, obstruction of religion and using a firearm in a violent crime after he opened fire during a Bible study session at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston in June 2015.
The final phase of jury selection in the case was to begin on Monday. But U.S. Judge Richard Gergel instead scheduled a hearing with Roof and his attorneys to discuss issues involving attorney-client privilege and the defendant's right to a fair trial, a court statement said. Prosecutors were not going to be in attendance.
"I have received a motion in this case this morning requiring my immediate attention and the conducting of a hearing involving only the defendant and defense counsel," Gergel said from the bench, reading from a statement.
The surprise announcement came after about 30 family members of the victims had been seated in the courtroom. Roof sat at the defense table, wearing a gray and white striped prison jumpsuit.
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Jury selection canceled for closed hearing in South Carolina church shooting
By Harriet McLeod | CHARLESTON, S.C.
A federal judge canceled jury selection on Monday to hold a closed hearing in the U.S. death penalty trial for a white man charged with hate crimes after the shooting deaths of nine black parishioners at a historic South Carolina church last year.
Dylann Roof, who is accused of holding white supremacist views, was indicted on 33 federal counts of hate crimes, obstruction of religion and using a firearm in a violent crime after he opened fire during a Bible study session at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston in June 2015.
The final phase of jury selection in the case was to begin on Monday. But U.S. Judge Richard Gergel instead scheduled a hearing with Roof and his attorneys to discuss issues involving attorney-client privilege and the defendant's right to a fair trial, a court statement said. Prosecutors were not going to be in attendance.
"I have received a motion in this case this morning requiring my immediate attention and the conducting of a hearing involving only the defendant and defense counsel," Gergel said from the bench, reading from a statement.
The surprise announcement came after about 30 family members of the victims had been seated in the courtroom. Roof sat at the defense table, wearing a gray and white striped prison jumpsuit.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-south-carolina-shooting-roof-idUSKBN1321CJ