Dylann Roof Found Competent to Face Sentencing

CHARLESTON, SC — Dylann Roof on Monday was found fit to face sentencing by a federal judge Monday following a lengthy closed-door hearing. The judge also pushed the start of the sentencing phase back a day to Wednesday, when prosecutors will begin making their case to the jury that Roof deserves the death penalty instead of life in prison for slaying nine churchgoers in Charleston, South Carolina, in June 2015.

Judge Richard M. Gergel made the determination to close Monday's proceedings to the public over objections from media outlets, including the Associated Press. He found Roof competent to face sentencing and said Roof could represent himself during that phase of his federal trial.

“After fully considering all of the evidence presented, the court ruled from the bench that Defendant remains competent to stand trial and to self-represent,” Gergel wrote in an order.

The federal jury in December found Roof, 22, guilty on 33 counts, including murder and hate crimes, related to the June 2015 massacre.

Roof is a white supremacist who has admitted to slaying the worshipers in an African-American church. In closing arguments during the first phase of the trial, defense attorneys acknowledged Roof’s responsibility for the deaths but asked for only a life sentence.

Eighteen of the 33 counts he was found guilty of carry a maximum sentence of death. Roof had agreed to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence, but the government declined, as federal prosecutors sought the death penalty.

See also: Dylann Roof Guilty In Slaying Of 9 Churchgoers

Whether Roof is competent to stand trial during the sentencing phase was the question being addressed during Monday’s hearing. The hearing was requested before the New Year’s holiday by Roof’s standby counsel, USA Today reported. The motion was entered one day after Roof said he intended to represent himself during sentencing.

Gergel granted the motion and set the date for Monday. The trial was scheduled to enter the sentencing phase on Tuesday if Roof is deemed fit.

The closed nature of the hearing prompted the AP and other media outlets to object.

“Closing out this hearing … is closing out the community from an important step in the process,” AP attorney Jay Bender was quoted by AP reporter Meg Kinnard on Twitter as saying early Monday morning.

The judge has agreed to release a transcript after the verdict is reached. Roof reportedly underwent five hours of examination by a court-appointed psychiatrist over the weekend.

Throughout the trial phase of the proceedings, which began Dec. 7, attorneys representing Roof and federal prosecutors agreed that Roof walked inside Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in downtown Charleston on June 17, 2015, and sat for nearly an hour through a bible study before he removed a Glock .45-caliber pistol from a fanny pack and coldly killed the nine churchgoers, including their pastor.

The jury was shown surveillance video of Roof entering the church, crime-scene photos of the bloodied bodies lying on the floor, then more footage of him leaving the church about an hour later holding his gun. They were also shown video of his two-hour confession to FBI agents on the day he was arrested and heard from a tearful witness who said Roof spared her so she could "tell the story."

This is a developing story. Refresh the page for updates as they become available.

Patch's Marc Torrence contributed to this story.

Image via Shutterstock