Jurors report for state Charleston church trial in January

CHARLESTON, SC (AP) – A South Carolina judge is ordering 600 prospective jurors to report in January for the state murder trial of the man accused in the Charleston church shootings.

Dylann Roof, 22, faces death penalty trials in both state and federal court in the June 2015 slayings of nine black parishioners at Emanuel AME Church.

In a Tuesday order, Circuit Judge J.C. Nicholson says the first of the jurors should report to the Charleston County Courthouse January 17. His order says the trial will begin on or after January 30.

Meanwhile, Roof’s federal trial on hate crimes and other charges is set for November.

3,000 potential jurors are being summoned in that case. They begin reporting later this month to fill out questionnaires about what that they know about the shootings.