Attorneys for the man accused of murdering nine black parishioners last year at a Charleston, South Carolina, church say he suffers from mental illness.
Dylann Roof, the gunman behind the June 2015 shootings, will stand trial in federal court in November for racially motivated hate crimes.
On Monday, Roof's attorneys filed a notice saying they will argue their client is criminally insane. They plan to introduce evidence of his alleged abnormal mental state during the sentencing phase of his trial.
Federal attorneys are pursuing the death penalty, a move Roof's attorneys have repeatedly contested. Some view their claim that Roof is mentally ill as just another attempt to keep Roof from facing execution.
The 22-year-old defendant also faces nine murder charges in a state trial set for January. Attorneys in that trial are also pursing the death penalty.
A hearing for the state case is set for Wednesday, while a hearing for the federal case is scheduled for next week.
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