Dylann Roof, the man convicted for taking the lives of nine Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church parishioners, asked the judge on Wednesday to keep his mental health files sealed for the sentencing phase of his federal death penalty trial next week.
Stemming from the infamous June 2015 Charlestown church shooting, the 22-year-old white supremacist was found guilty on December 15 on 33 charges of federal hate crimes resulting in death, obstruction of religion and firearms violations.
Sealing his mental health files may increase his risk of getting the death penalty.
According to Reuters, Roof, who is also serving as his own lawyer along with his attorneys, said he wanted no details about his mental health revealed to the jury during the sentencing phase.
"The unsealing of the competency hearing is sort of against the purpose of my representing myself," Roof said in court. The judge warned him that it was a bad idea and that he should listen to his counsel.
His defense lawyers asked the jury to consider what might have caused him to commit such an act, stressing that Roof might be delusional. They hope to spare him from execution. Roof represented himself for a week during jury selection before asking for his attorneys back for the rest of the trial.
The sentencing phase begins next week.
