Up next for Dylann Roof: 2nd trial, long death row wait

Dylann Roof’s death sentence this week for killing nine black church members ends one chapter in his case, but it’s far from over. Roof has indicated he will appeal his federal punishment and there are nine murder charges looming in state court. Monuments and memorials to those slain at Emanuel AME in June 2015 are also planned.

ANOTHER TRIAL?

State prosecutors charged Roof with nine counts of murder and prosecutor Scarlett Wilson declared her intention to seek the death penalty months before federal prosecutors.

But the feds jumped to the front of the line, even after Wilson asked a judge to let her go first.

The state trial was supposed to start Jan. 17, but was indefinitely postponed because of the ongoing federal trial. Wilson hasn’t discussed the case at length in recent months and didn’t return messages this week from The Associated Press.

FEDERAL APPEALS

There likely will be appeals for years to come, in part because Roof was sentenced to die. Immediately after he was sentenced Tuesday, Roof asked for new lawyers to file appeals paperwork and was denied. He has a month to file an appeal.

Roof’s lawyers have consistently pointed out he was willing to plead guilty if the death penalty was taken off the table, which would have severely limited any appeals.

FEDERAL DEATH ROW

Roof isn’t heading to federal death row yet. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson said Wednesday that Roof will likely stay in the Charleston County jail until his state charges are resolved.

Roof is the 63rd inmate sent to federal death row, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. But in the past 50 years, the federal government has executed just three people – including Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh – and none since 2003.

Even if a South Carolina jury convicts Roof and sentences him to death, there is no guarantee of a swift sentence. The state has executed 43 people since 1985, but none in five years. And the S.C. prisons director has said the state’s lethal injection drugs have expired and they have been unable to buy a new supply.

MEMORIALS

There has been talk of several different monuments in Charleston to honor the nine people killed and the three who survived the massacre at Emanuel AME, but no plans have been finalized.

The shooting did boost interest in an expansive, high-profile African-American museum in Charleston set to open in 2019 on the site where thousands of slaves stepped off boats on to American soil.

This story was originally published January 12, 2017 at 3:27 PM with the headline "Up next for Dylann Roof: 2nd trial, long death row wait."