South Carolina church shooter refuses to defend himself

White supremacist DylannRoof on Monday stood by his pledge not to testify or call anywitnesses who might persuade jurors not to sentence him to deathfor killing nine black parishioners at a church in Charleston,S.C., in June 2015.

That leaves jurors deciding his fate to consider only the evidence offered by U.S. prosecutors, including four days of poignant testimony from more than 20 family and friends of the victims, who recounted the lives of their loved ones, ages 26 to 87, and the impact of their deaths.

• DylannRoof convicted of gunning down 9 black parishioners in racist attack

Roof is representing himself. The jury last month found himguilty of 33 counts of federal hate crimes resulting in death,obstruction of religion and firearms charges for the massacreduring a Bible study meeting at the historic Emanuel AfricanMethodist Episcopal (AME) Church.

Deliberations about whether Roof should be put to death orsent to prison for life were scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

'You don't have to do this'

U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel denied Roof's requestthat the judge decide his sentence rather than the jury.

Earlier Monday, federal prosecutors rested their case in thepenalty phase after several family members spoke about TywanzaSanders, 26, who according to trial testimony told the gunman,"You don't have to do this" before he was shot at least fivetimes.

Sanders was ambitious, determined and headstrong, hissister, Shirrene Goss, said. "He was not fearful to try anything and not fearful to saywhat was on his mind," she said.

At the time of his death, the college graduate who was theyoungest of the victims, had been preparing to move to Floridato study audio engineering, said his mother, Felicia Sanders,one of three survivors of the shooting.

"The hardest thing was when [the school] called to say 'Where's Tywanza Sanders? He didn't show up at class,'" his mother told jurors. "And my husband had to say 'He died, he can't come, he's no longer with us.'"

Roof serving as his own lawyer

Roof did not ask questions of witnesses. He seldom objectedto the government's evidence detailing his premeditation andlack of remorse, including a racist manifesto written from hisjail cell after his arrest.

• Dylann Roof, representing himself in death penalty trial, calls no witnesses
• Dylann Roof tells death penalty trial jury: 'There's nothing wrong with me psychologically'

He told jurors in an opening statement last week that he wasserving as his own lawyerto prevent their hearing details abouthis mental health.

The lawyers who represented him during the trial's guilt phase said Roof's strategy proved he was not fit to represent himself. However, Gergel twice ruled Roof competent.