Roof’s state trial in church killings delayed

With a federal jury trying to decide if convicted church killer Dylann Roof lives or dies, the start of a separate state trial related to the slayings has been delayed indefinitely.

In an order Thursday, Circuit Judge J.C. Nicholson said the state trial set to start Jan. 17 in Charleston County has been put off “to allow time to conduct the evaluation and prepare for the trial.”

He said the delay would last until “further order of this court.” Nicholson acknowledged the federal trial under way.

It’s unclear how long the federal trial will continue.

Prosecutor Jay Richardson planned to call as many as 38 witnesses, but said it may be less.

Roof, who is representing himself in the penalty phase, hasn’t questioned any of the more than half a dozen witnesses who have testified so far for prosecutors. He has said he won’t offer witnesses for himself.

Prosecutors in both cases are seeking the death penalty against Roof, who is from the Columbia area.

He was convicted Dec. 15 by the federal jury of killing nine black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston on June 17, 2015.

This story was originally published January 5, 2017 at 3:46 PM with the headline "Roof’s state trial in church killings delayed."