Attorneys for alleged church shooter Dylann Roof and the suspect’s friend accused of having prior knowledge of his plan are set to appear in court April 5 in downtown Charleston.
U.S. District Judge Richard M. Gergel is expected to hear from prosecutors, who have yet to announce whether they will seek the death penalty for Roof who faces a 33-count federal indictment stemming from the June 17 shooting at Mother Emanuel Church that ended in the deaths of nine parishioners. This includes three charges of attempted murder, as well as charges for hate crimes and firearms offenses. Attorneys for Roof have said that their client has offered to plead guilty on the condition that the Justice Department not seek the death penalty.
In September, Roof’s friend Joey Meek pled not guilty to charges that he willfully and knowingly made false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements to FBI investigators following the shooting in June. Authorities claim that Meek concealed information and failed to contact authorities as soon as possible. He could receive a maximum sentence of eight years in prison — five years for lying to investigators and three years for concealing information.
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