Not guilty plea in court for US church shooting suspect

Charleston - A US judge entered not guilty pleas on more than 30 federal charges, including for hate crimes, for a white man accused of gunning down nine parishioners at a black church in South Carolina last month.

During Friday's hearing for 21-year-old Dylann Roof, his attorney told US Magistrate Judge Bristow Marchant that his client wanted to enter a plea of guilty to all the counts. But because the government hasn't decided whether to seek the death penalty on some of the counts, attorneys could not advise Roof on the issue, the lawyer said.

Marchant then entered the not-guilty plea on all counts.

Roof appeared in a grey striped prison jumpsuit, his hands in shackles. He answered yes several times in response to the judge's questions but otherwise didn't speak.