A move by convicted Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof to have his current attorneys removed and replaced was denied by the United States Court of Appeals Tuesday.
Citing a "conflict of interest" regarding politics and religion, the 23-year-old mailed a hand-written motion on September 13 to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing for the change in attorneys before an upcoming appeal in his conviction and death penalty sentence.
"Trust is a vital component in an attorney-client relationship, and is important to the effectiveness of the defense," wrote Roof, a self-avowed white supremacist who said he was trying to start a race war with the shooting at Emanuel AME. "Because of my political views, which are arguably religious, it will be impossible for me to trust two attorneys who are my political and biological enemies."