Dylann Roof pleads guilty to state charges

Convicted South Carolina church shooter Dylann Roof is set to enter a guilty plea to state murder charges in exchange for a sentence of life in prison, Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said today. The plea deal with the state will not save Roof from possible execution. A federal jury earlier this year sentenced him to death for 33 charges including hate crimes. Roof, 22, murdered nine parishioners during a Bible study at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church in June 2015. Today’s announcement signals to the end to lengthy court proceedings and allows Roof to be transferred from Charleston County jail to federal death row custody. Wilson said Roof is scheduled to enter the plea at a hearing on April 10. Wilson had sought the death penalty in state court, but said today she was confident the federal case against Roof would be upheld.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.