Convicted murderer Dylann Roof said on Thursday tearful testimony by family members of those slain in the South Carolina church massacre was excessive and would prejudice jurors who will decide whether he should be sentenced to death.
The 22-year-old white supremacist, found guilty last month of killing nine black people at Charleston's Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in 2015, said in written motions it was unfair for federal prosecutors to pile on given he does not plan to present any mitigating evidence.
Roof is serving as his own lawyer during the penalty phase of his capital trial.
Roof objected to prosecutors' initial plans to call 38 survivors and friends to detail the effects of the murders because that was the same number of witnesses who testified against Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh after he was convicted of killing 168 people.
"If I don't present any mitigation evidence, the victim-impact evidence will take over the whole sentencing trial and guarantee that I get the death penalty," Roof said in one of several motions decrying prosecutors' tactics.
U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel urged prosecutors to pare down their witness list as jurors heard from victims' loved ones for a second day.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson said prosecutors were making adjustments but noted the large number of victims resulted from Roof's choices.
Nine family and friends remembered Myra Thompson, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, DePayne Middleton Doctor and the Reverend Daniel Simmons, who attended the Bible study meeting where Roof opened fire.
Thompson's daughter, Denise Quarles, said she was angry Roof killed her in their beloved church.
"It pisses me off, but I won't let what happened in that church stop me from being there," Quarles told jurors.
Roof offered no defence or apology for his crimes during his brief opening statement on Wednesday, instead insisting to jurors he is not mentally ill.
He has asked no questions of the prosecution witnesses and has not objected in court to any testimony.
Prominent capital defence lawyer David Bruck, who represented Roof during the guilt phase of the trial and now serves as his standby counsel, said the defendant's actions proved he was incapable of mounting a proper defence.
"This man cannot protect his own rights," Bruck argued. "He cannot do it."
Gergel refused to let Bruck make objections on Roof's behalf.
Roof’s trial on state murder charges, set for Jan. 17, was delayed indefinitely on Thursday.
Reuters
Fri Jan 06 2017
Dylann Storm Roof appears by closed-circuit television at his bond hearing in Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. June 19, 2015 in a still image from video. REUTERS/POOL/File Photo
Liga Parlimen Al-Quds: Malaysia gesa satu resolusi penyelesaian isu Palestin dapat dicapai
Malaysia antara lain mendesak Pertubuhan Bangsa-Bangsa Bersatu (PBB) meluluskan resolusi menghantar tentera pengaman ke Palestin.
Palestin perlukan 14 tahun untuk dibangunkan semula
Jumlah besar runtuhan akibat serangan dilakukan tentera Israel di Semenanjung Gaza mengambil tempoh sekurang-kurangnya 14 tahun untuk dibersihkan.
#AWANI745
#AWANI745
Delegasi seluruh dunia pulang selepas misi ditangguh
Delegasi seluruh dunia dan Malaysia dijangka bergerak pulang ke negara masing-masing dalam waktu terdekat.
Ia selepas Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) mengumumkan penangguhan terbaharu misi Break the Siege Freedom Flotilla to Gaza pada Sabtu.
Rakan setugas Syaff Shukri dan jurukamera Ab Uzza Ab Latiff ada perinciannya.
#AWANI745
Ia selepas Freedom Flotilla Coalition (FFC) mengumumkan penangguhan terbaharu misi Break the Siege Freedom Flotilla to Gaza pada Sabtu.
Rakan setugas Syaff Shukri dan jurukamera Ab Uzza Ab Latiff ada perinciannya.
#AWANI745
PRK N06 KKB: Kerajaan Perpaduan akan dibebani dengan isu semasa - Muhyiddin
Pilihan Raya Kecil Kuala Kubu Baharu kali ini akan menyaksikan Kerajaan Perpaduan ‘dibebani’ dengan isu-isu semasa yang dilihat membebankan rakyat, tegas bekas Perdana Menteri yang juga Pengerusi Perikatan Nasional, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin.
#AWANI745
#AWANI745
Tangkapan anak MB Perlis, tidak jejas sokongan
Tangkapan ke atas anak Menteri Besar Perlis, Mohd Shukri Ramli dan lima lagi individu oleh Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) bagi membantu siasatan berhubung tuntutan palsu berjumlah RM600,000 tidak menjejaskan perjalanan Pilihan Raya Kecil Kuala Kubu Bharu yang ditandingi Perikatan Nasional.
#AWANI745
#AWANI745
PRK N06 KKB: UMNO, BN dukung calon PH demi Kerajaan Perpaduan – Ahmad Zahid
UMNO dan Barisan Nasional berpegang kepada prinsip mendokong calon yang mewakili Kerajaan Perpaduan, iaitu Pang Sock Tao, biarpun beliau berasal daripada parti DAP yang pernah menjadi seteru mereka satu ketika dulu.
#AWANI745
#AWANI745
Wanita lintas jalan direman dua hari
Pemandu SUV yang melintas jalan dan menyebabkan kemalangan, yang meragut nyawa seorang penunggang motosikal berkuasa tinggi direman dua hari.
Genting Malaysia nafi bincang mengenai kasino di Forest City
Genting Malaysia Bhd (Genting Malaysia) hari ini menafikan sebarang penglibatan dalam perbincangan mengenai pengoperasian kasino di Forest City, Johor.
AWANI Borneo [27/04/2024] - Peruntukan RM60 juta | GPS tumpu Sarawak | Risiko hilang kerusi
Laporan berita padat dan ringkas dari Borneo bersama Assim Hassan;
#AWANIBorneo 27 April 2024
Tertangguh lama, SMK Sebuyau bakal berwajah baharu
Sah! GPS tidak terlibat kempen PRK Kuala Kubu Bharu
MoU PBS dan STAR elak pertembungan calon dalam PRN Sabah
#AWANInews
#AWANIBorneo 27 April 2024
Tertangguh lama, SMK Sebuyau bakal berwajah baharu
Sah! GPS tidak terlibat kempen PRK Kuala Kubu Bharu
MoU PBS dan STAR elak pertembungan calon dalam PRN Sabah
#AWANInews
Pemain Astro Kem Badminton berpeluang berlatih dengan jurulatih dari BAM
Menurut Ketua Jurulatih Astro Kem Badminton 2024, Lee Wan Wah latihan intensif selama 5 hari itu merupakan satu peluang terbaik untuk pemain merasai pengalaman berlatih seperti untuk mewakili negara.