Dylann Roof requests his attorneys represent him during guilt phase of trial

Accused church shooter Dylann Roof requested Sunday that his attorneys represent him through the guilt phase of his death penalty trial.

The motion comes just a week after U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel granted Roof a request to represent himself. The guilt phase of the trial is set to begin Wednesday.

“Can you you let me have them back for the guilt phase, and then let me represent myself for the sentencing phase of the trial,” Roof wrote on a piece of college-ruled paper. “If you would allow that, then that is what I would like to do.”

Roof requested initially to represent himself through a motion Nov. 27, and Gergel granted his request Nov. 28. Gergel repeatedly warned Roof it was “strategically unwise” to represent himself.

Roof’s former defense team remained as legal advisers but has sought to play a larger role in his defense, expressing concern last week that Roof may not present evidence that could sway a jury to spare his life – something that could violate the U.S. Constitution’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment.

The lawyers said they didn’t know why Roof wanted to represent himself, but added that other capital defendants have fired their lawyers to avoid having embarrassing evidence revealed, writing that the “22-year-old ninth-grade dropout” might deliberately sabotage his own defense to get the death penalty.

Roof, a self-described white supremacist from the Columbia area, is accused of driving to Charleston to kill African-Americans to “incite racial tensions across the nation.” Roof is charged with killing nine people, including church pastor and state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, and attempting to kill three others at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church on June 17, 2015.

There will be a hearing Monday to discuss pretrial motions, and opening statements are currently scheduled for Wednesday.

If Roof’s request isn’t granted, and he continues to represent himself, he will be making those statements, as well as questioning witnesses at trial. That could include relatives of the shooting victims, some of whom said at Roof’s initial court appearance that they forgave him and would pray for him.

This story was originally published December 5, 2016 at 7:42 AM with the headline "Dylann Roof requests his attorneys represent him during guilt phase of trial."