The federal trial for Dylann Roof, the man charged with fatally shooting nine people at a historic African-American church in Charleston, S.C., last June, has been scheduled to start Nov. 7.
Chief U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel announced Tuesday he will begin selecting jurors for the federal trial then, according to the Associated Press. Gergel said more than 1,000 South Carolina residents may be summoned as potential jurors.
The 22-year-old has been charged with 33 violations of federal law, including hate crimes for attacking black worshippers at a Bible study at the Emanuel AME Church.
Roof attended the hearing, but did not make a statement. His defense attorneys reiterated that their client was willing to plead guilty if the death penalty were taken off the table.
Federal prosecutors said in May they will seek the death penalty against Roof, mirroring the South Carolina prosecutors’ February decision to seek the death penalty. The state trial is set for January.
South Carolina has not executed anyone since 2011; the federal government has not done so since 2003.
