Charleston shooter won’t submit evidence to spare his life

Dylann Roof told U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel at a hearing in Charleston, S.C., Wednesday that he plans on calling no witnesses and presenting no evidence to try to convince a jury to spare his life for killing nine African-American church members in a June 2015 shooting in Charleston. Roof said he still plans to act as his own lawyer when the penalty phase of his federal death penalty trial begins next Tuesday. Gergel told Roof to talk to his grandfather, who is a lawyer, and other family members one last time, adding that he can change his mind and bring back his attorneys up until opening statements next week. Roof was convicted on 33 federal charges, including using a firearm to commit murder, violating civil rights, obstructing the free exercise of religion, and other hate crime–related offenses. Eighteen of the charges carry the death penalty.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.