CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Minutes after Dylann Roof was found guilty of killing nine black people in a hate crime at a Charleston church, he again told a judge he wants to represent himself as prosecutors seek a death sentence.
Roof answered a number of questions from U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel with a simple "yes" Thursday afternoon, moving his high-powered defense team to advisers.
Roof said at the start of the trial that he wanted attorneys in the guilt phase, but not in the penalty phase. His lawyers said in a court filing they fear he wants to avoid embarrassing testimony that the defense might have presented to try to get a jury to spare his life.
The penalty phase starts Jan. 3. Gergel says he will check with Roof one more time before testimony starts.
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A federal jury has convicted Dylann Roof of all 33 counts in the racially motivated slaughter of nine black church members last year in South Carolina.
The jury took less than two hours to reach its verdict Thursday. Family members of victims held hands and squeezed one another's arms as the verdicts were read. One woman nodded her head every time the clerk said "guilty."
Jurors convicted Roof of hate crimes, obstruction of religion and weapons charges.
The panel of nine white people and three black people will reconvene next month to decide whether Roof faces life in prison or the death penalty.
