Deal transfers Charleston church shooter to federal custody
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}FILE - In this June 18, 2015, file photo, Charleston, S.C., shooting suspect Dylann Storm Roof is escorted from the Cleveland County Courthouse in Shelby, N.C. Solicitor Scarlett Wilson told The Associated Press on Friday, March 31, 2017, that Roof is scheduled to enter a guilty plea during a hearing on April 10 in Charleston. The plea on all of his state charges, including nine counts of murder, comes in exchange for a sentence of life in prison, the prosecutor said. Roof has been awaiting trial on state murder charges for the deaths of nine black parishioners at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church in June 2015. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File) (The Associated Press)
Authorities have agreed to transfer South Carolina church shooter Dylann Roof to federal custody following an agreement to plead guilty to state murder charges, thus avoiding a second death sentence.
Court documents filed Sunday show Roof, his attorneys and state and federal prosecutors have agreed that Roof should be officially transferred to federal authorities.
Roof has been in state custody since his arrest following the slayings of nine people at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church in June 2015. He's already been sentenced to death on federal charges including hate crimes, and this agreement allows him to begin serving time in the federal system.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Last week, Solicitor Scarlett Wilson told The Associated Press Roof had agreed to plead guilty to state charges in exchange for a life sentence. That hearing is set for April 10.