Dylann Roof, who stands accused of shooting multiple people in a South Carolina church last June, pled not guilty to 33 federal charges in court on Friday.
Roof, 21, has been indicted by a grand jury for federal hate crimes and firearms crimes, in addition to state charges that include multiple counts of murder, according to CNN. He was taken into police custody on June 17, one day after the church shooting that killed nine people. Roof has confessed to shooting congregants at the Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church last June.
In court Friday, his lawyers said that Roof wants to plead guilty to his crimes. David Bruck, his legal counsel, would not allow him to do so because he does not know whether or not prosecutors will seek the death penalty against him. Of the 33 charges facing Roof, 18 could get him the death penalty, according to the New York Times. For now, the judge has slated Roof's plea as "not guilty."
Prior to the shooting, Roof had a picture of himself taken while holding the Confederate flag and a gun. The subsequent church shooting sparked a national debate about the Confederate flag, which continues to be a sore subject for some Americans.
Other than to answer direct questions from the judge with a "yes" or "no," Roof did not speak in court Friday. Several representatives from the church did speak, according to The Huffington Post.
