The trial of Dylann Roof, 21-year-old convicted murderer and self proclaimed white supremacist, has been postponed after prosecutors told the judge that they were not able to decide whether or not to implement the death penalty, according to The New York Times.
Roof faces state murder, firearm and federal hate crime charges to which he pleaded not guilty during an arraignment in July. A manifesto reportedly written by Roof was discovered online and detailed his racist beliefs and ideologies, according to IB Times. He also took many pictures holding the confederate flag.
Federal Judge Richard Gergel has postponed the trial which will allow both the defense and prosecution to better prepare, according to NBC News. The U.S. attorney general, Loretta Lynch, will reportedly make the final decision of whether or not to use capital punishment. This case warrants the death penalty due to the Mathew Shepard and James Byrd Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which was enacted in 2009, as a way to expand existing federal laws that criminalized assault and murder fueled by prejudice against a victim's race, color, religion or national origin. Roof murdered a total of nine people and injured three in the June 17 attack which caused uprisings and eventually the ban of confederate flags. Roof's trial will not begin until about June, according to Gergel. The jury selection will start around November.
