CHARLESTON, S.C. – A federal judge has moved the trial of Joey Meek, a friend of the man charged in the Charleston church shootings, to the city where the shootings occurred.
U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel on Tuesday ordered 21-year-old Meek's trial moved from Columbia to Charleston, 120 miles away.
Prosecutors sought the move, saying it would make it easier for victims' friends and relatives to attend. Meek is from the Columbia area.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson had argued the convenience of the defendant doesn't outweigh the convenience of the victims. Gergel noted that witnesses from both cities will likely be called to testify.
The government says Meek failed to tell investigators all he knew about Dylann Roof's plans to shoot black parishioners at the church in June. Nine people were killed.
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