Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson will announce Thursday whether her office will seek the death penalty for Dylann Roof — the 21-year-old accused of killing nine people in a historic black South Carolina church in June.
Dylann Roof
Charleston County Sheriff's Office via AP
Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson is expected to announce Thursday if prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Dylann Roof — the 21-year-old accused of murdering nine black parishioners in a historic Charleston church in June.
Wilson will make the announcement at a press conference scheduled for 2:45 p.m. ET, ABC15 News reported.
Roof was indicted on 33 counts, including federal hate crime and firearms charges.
In a July hearing, Roof's attorney, David Bruck, said his client wanted to plead guilty to the charges but Bruck said he could not advise Roof without knowing if prosecutors planned to seek the death penalty.
"Mr. Roof has told us that he wishes to plead guilty," Bruck said in court, according to the Associated Press. "Until we know whether the government will be seeking the death penalty, we are not able to advise Mr. Roof."
U.S. Magistrate Judge Bristow Marchant entered a not guilty plea for Roof at that time.
On June 17, Roof allegedly opened fire on parishioners attending a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, killing three men and six women.
According to survivors, Roof allegedly pulled out a gun after sitting at the study session for an hour, and told the victims, "You are raping our women and taking over our country."
An online manifesto, which apparently belonged to Roof, featured photos of him posing in a former slave plantation, clutching a handgun, and holding the Confederate flag. The white supremacist manifesto detailed a hatred toward black people, Jews, and Latinos and described black people as "the group that is the biggest problem for Americans."
Roof is being held without parole at the Charleston County Detention Center in North Charleston.
LINK: Charleston Church Shooter Wants To Plead Guilty, His Attorney Says
LINK: Dylann Roof Charged With Federal Hate Crimes In Charleston Church Shooting
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