CHARLESTON, S. C. — The man accused of murdering nine people inside a South Carolina church is set to stand trial next July.
According to reports, Judge JC Nicholson set a July 11 ,2016 trial date for Dylan Roff, the lone gunman in the massacre.
He was charged with nine counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder.
Roff did not enter a plea while in court this week.
On June 17, Roff allegedly walked into a historic African-American church in Charleston, South Carolina, and opened fire during a Bible study class, killing nine people.
Eight churchgoers died at the scene; a ninth at a hospital, police said. Among them is the church’s pastor, the Rev. Clementa Pinckney, according to CNN affiliate WCSC.
Police received the first call around 9:05 p.m.
Officers arrived to find several victims inside.
Among the dead: Cynthia Hurd, 54; Susie Jackson, 87; Ethel Lance, 70; Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, 49; Hon. Rev. Clementa Pinckney, 41; Tywanza Sanders, 26; Rev. Daniel Simmons Sr., 74; Rev. Sharonda Singleton, 45; Myra Thompson, 59.
Three people survived the shooting, including a woman who received a chilling message from the shooter.
“Her life was spared, and (she was) told, ‘I’m not going to kill you, I’m going to spare you, so you can tell them what happened,’ ” Charleston NAACP President Dot Scott told CNN.
She said she heard this from the victim’s family members.