A South Carolina judge has ordered a jury pool of 600 people summoned for the trial of Dylann Roof, who is charged with murder in the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church shooting that took place last summer, The Guardian reports.
Roof, 21, is facing nine counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and a weapons charge for the shooting last June, which occurred during a Bible study at the historic Charleston church. The victims included the church's pastor, Clementa Pinckney, who was also a state senator. The state is seeking the death penalty in the trial, which is set to begin July 11, The Guardian notes.
Circuit Judge J.C. Nicholson issued the order, deeming the pool of 600 necessary because of the case's complexity. The judge also ordered that the questionnaires used to screen potential jurors remain sealed until they are given to jury-pool members June 28. Members of the pool will then return to court in groups of 20 to be questioned by attorneys the day the trial is to begin.
Roof is also facing multiple charges in federal court, including hate crimes. The prosecution has not yet revealed whether the federal government will seek the death penalty for those charges.
Read more at The Guardian.