CHARLESTON, S.C. – Defense attorneys say they have no objection to a state request for an independent mental examination of Dylann Roof, the alleged gunman who is scheduled to stand trial for his life next year in the shooting deaths of nine parishioners at Charleston's Emanuel AME Church.
State prosecutors requested an outside evaluation and Roof's defense team said in court documents filed last week they have no objection to an exam by the state Department of Mental Health as long as it complies with state law.
Under the law, those exam results would not be revealed to prosecutors until the sentencing phase of the trial.
Last month a judge delayed Roof's trial until January.
At the time, the defense said its expert needed another two to six months to complete a psychiatric evaluation of Roof.
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