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U.S. NEWS Monday 13 February 2017
Convicted church shooter Roof wants new federal trial

Carolina and involved only
“incidental and every-
day use” of areas affected
by the commerce clause,
like the internet or pur-
chases 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.
Roof had attorneys dur-
ing his trial but fired them
during the sentencing
phase, avoiding potential
evidence about his mental
state that he didn’t want
made public at trial.
Roof remains in custody in
the Charleston County jail,
where he awaits a death
penalty trial in state court.
q

In this 2015 photo, Charleston, S.C., Dylann Roof is escorted from
the Cleveland County Courthouse in Shelby, N.C.
(AP Photo/Chuck Burton)

MEG KINNARD enough links to allow reli-
Associated Press gious obstruction charges.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Roof, 22, was sentenced to
Convicted Charleston die earlier this year for kill-
church shooter Dylann ing nine black members of
Roof has asked for a new Charleston’s Emanuel AME
federal trial, saying pros- Church in June 2015. In a
ecutors didn’t have juris- videotaped confession to
diction to bring their case FBI agents, Roof admit-
against him. ted to his role in the killings
Roof’s attorneys made and told jurors in his clos-
that request this weekend, ing argument that he still
claiming the government felt compelled to commit
failed to prove his use of them.
the internet, highways In the motion, Roof’s at-
and a gun manufactured torneys argued his case
out of state were sufficient happened entirely in South