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Prosecutors Oppose Bench Trial for Charleston Church Shooting Suspect

Attorneys for Dylann Roof acknowledged prosecutors had already said they wouldn't consent to a bench trial but made their request anyway

Prosecutors have officially opposed a request by the man accused in the shooting deaths of nine parishioners at a South Carolina church that a judge, not a jury, decide his fate.

In court documents filed Monday, attorneys for the federal government point out that their consent is needed before a defendant can waive a jury trial.

Last week, attorneys for Dylann Roof acknowledged prosecutors had already said they wouldn't consent to a bench trial but made their request anyway.

The 22-year-old Roof faces federal charges including hate crimes in connection to the June 17 shootings during Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston. The trial is scheduled to begin on Nov. 7.

Roof faces nine counts of murder in a state trial set to begin in January.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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