CHARLESTON, S.C. — When he was arrested, the man accused of killing nine people during a Bible study in a Charleston church had a list of other area black churches in his car, law enforcement officials testified Monday.

At the time, Dylann Roof told FBI agents he was too “worn out” from the June 2015 shootings at Emanuel AME Church to pursue further shootings. But prosecutors trying him on dozens of federal charges presented evidence to jurors that Roof, armed with a handgun, ammunition, clothing and other supplies, could potentially have been planning more violence.

During roughly two hours on the stand, former State Law Enforcement Division agent Brittany Burke testified that names of a handful of other churches and their addresses were found on a handwritten list in a backpack in Roof’s car.

Also on papers found in Roof’s car were phone numbers for the Statehouse complex in Columbia, as well as the name of Denmark Vesey, one of the historic founders of Charleston’s Emanuel AME.

Vesey led a failed 1822 slave rebellion that drove the church underground. After the plot was reported, Vesey was hanged and the church was burned. The church was rebuilt, but in 1834 all black churches were banned and members worshiped “underground” until 1865, when Emanuel AME Church was formally reorganized.

Burke is one of the state agents who processed evidence found in Roof’s car when he was arrested after the shootings at the church known as Mother Emanuel. A jury began last week hearing testimony against Roof, 22, who is on trial on 33 federal charges, including hate crimes and obstruction of the practice of religion.

Roof has formally entered a not guilty plea to all the charges. But his attorneys have said he’s willing to change that to guilty if prosecutors agree not to seek the death penalty against him.

In his videotaped, two-hour confession played for jurors last week, Roof told FBI agents he left bullets in a magazine so that he could kill himself after the slayings but changed his mind when he didn’t see any police immediately after the shooting.

“Oh no. I was worn out,” Roof said, when an agent asked if he thought about more killings.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.