New Charges for Alleged|Charleston Gunman

(CN) - The alleged murderer of nine in a historic black church in Charleston, S.C., has been slapped with additional charges.

Dylann Storm Roof was originally charged with nine counts of murder and one count of unlawful possession of a weapon, and could face the death penalty if convicted on those charges.

Now a grand jury in Charleston has indicted Roof on three additional charges of attempted murder related to victims who were wounded by survived the attack.

Still unknown is whether federal hate crime or terrorism charges will join the list. Since late June Roof has been represented by court-appointed federal public defenders, a sign some suggest means the Department of Justice will soon levy additional charges against him.

Two weeks later, the agency remains mum on its intentions, and Roof remains in the Charleston County Jail in North Charleston with no court appearances scheduled.

In announcing the new state charges, Ninth Judicial Circuit Solicitor Scarlett Wilson she constrain from saying very much at all about the case.

"By law, defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty," she said.

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