Charleston Shooting Suspect To Stand Trial Next Year

Circuit Judge J.C. Nicholson set a trial date for Dylann Roof, 21, who faces multiple charges stemming from the June 17th shootings at an African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

The trial date is July 11th, 2016.

Roof reportedly sat quietly during the proceedings in a courtroom crowded with about 100 people.

Mr. Roof was presented copies of the indictments, and his public defender Ashley Pennington told the judge he would not seek bond at this time “based on the totality of the circumstances,” writes The Salt Lake Tribune.

The judge allegedly called Roof a flight risk, noting he was arrested in Shelby, N.C., about 250 miles away, on the day after the parishioners were shot to death during a Bible study at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/07/16/423612434/trial-date-set-for-charleston-shooting-suspect-dylann-roof

http://www.cnn.com/2015/07/16/us/charleston-church-shooting-trial-date/

Slager Not Eligible For The Death Penalty

North Charleston Patrolman 1st Class Michael T. Slager will not face the possibility of the death penalty in connection with the shooting of Walter Scott, states the Charleston newspaper Post and Courier.

The circumstances don’t meet the criteria necessary under S.C. law, Charleston County’s chief prosecutor said Monday.

Some news outlets claimed that Slager would be eligible for the death penalty due to his crime.

Ninth Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson said she carefully reviewed the state’s death penalty statute, which lists 22 aggravating circumstances that can trigger the state to seek lethal punishment.  None applied in this case, she said.

Those offenses include murders committed during kidnapping, robbery, drug trafficking and a host of other circumstances.

“Under South Carolina law, this case is not death penalty-eligible,” said Wilson.  Wilson’s office will be in charge of prosecuting Slager.

“There are aggravating circumstances which can take a murder case from being a maximum of life to death being the maximum sentence. None of those factors are present in this case,” said Wilson.