Relatives of nine African-Americans killed at a historic South Carolina church may get a second opportunity to address the white man accused in the murders yesterday when he is arraigned on federal hate crime charges, sources close to the case said.
At an earlier court appearance, family members riveted the country by expressing heartfelt forgiveness to Dylann Storm Roof, the suspect in last month’s massacre at Charleston’s Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, saying their Christian faith compelled them to rise above their grief.
Their tearful statements, coming just two days after the slayings, helped spark intense soul-searching in the United States over race relations and led to the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina capitol grounds.
Yesterday’s arraignment comes a week after a federal grand jury in South Carolina returned a 33-count indictment accusing Roof of hate crimes and firearms charges, adding to the raft of state murder and attempted murder counts he already faces.
Relatives of the victims are free to attend the hearing and US Magistrate Judge Bristow Marchant could allow them to speak, sources said on Thursday. Attorneys have not said if Roof would enter a plea yesterday. Roof’s legal team could not be reached for comment.
Neither federal nor state prosecutors have decided whether they will seek the death penalty if Roof is convicted.
