Widow of Florida nightclub gunman cleared of all charges

[rooster59]

Widow of Florida nightclub gunman cleared of all charges

By Joey Roulette

 

Family members and spokespeople of defendant Noor Salman, the widow of the Pulse Nightclub gunman, speak with members of the media outside a federal courthouse following her acquittal in Orlando, Florida, U.S. March 30, 2018. REUTERS/Joey Roulette

 

ORLANDO, Fla. (Reuters) - The widow of the Pulse nightclub gunman walked free on Friday after a jury cleared her of charges related to the 2016 massacre that killed 49 people in Orlando, Florida.

 

Noor Salman, 31, could have faced up to life in prison had she been convicted of federal charges of obstruction of justice and aiding her husband, Omar Mateen, in providing support to the Islamic State militant group.

 

Instead, the U.S. District Court jury acquitted Salman after roughly 12 hours of deliberation that began on Wednesday. Hours later, she walked out of Orange County jail, her head bowed as she held hands with defense lawyer Fritz Scheller.

 

"We knew from day one she was innocent," Salman's aunt, Susan Adieh, told reporters just after the verdict.Salman was home with the couple's then 3-year-old son at the time of the massacre on June 12, 2016. Mateen died in an exchange of gunfire with police at Pulse, a gay nightspot.

 

The acquittal was an emotional blow for the survivors and families of those killed. The attack stunned and dismayed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and Latinos who frequented Pulse.

 

At the time, it was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. It has since been surpassed by the Las Vegas attack in which a shooter opened fire on an outdoor concert from his hotel room last year, killing 58 people.

 

"We're very sorry for the family members and friends of the 49 victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting, and also the survivors of that horrible attack," said Susan Clary, Noor's family spokeswoman.

 

A group of victims' relatives and friends, accompanied by Pulse owner Barbara Poma, left the courthouse without responding to reporters' questions.

 

"Those of us directly affected by this tragedy must find peace in our hearts and remember that he was the one who pulled the trigger that night," Poma said in a statement.

 

A group of survivors, friends and family planned to meet at the Pulse nightclub about 2 miles (3 km) from the courthouse.

 

"She may not be guilty, but she isn't innocent either," said Luis Morales, a Pulse regular who was not there during the attack. "She knew what he was doing."

 

When U.S. District Judge Paul Byron announced the verdict, Salman broke down in tears and hugged her defense lawyers, according to reporters inside the courtroom. Her relatives gasped while families of the victims sat silently, showing little emotion.

 

Mateen, 29, opened fire shortly after 2 a.m. during Latin night, shooting patrons on the dance floor and spraying bullets at others hiding in bathroom stalls. He then held hostages during a standoff with police, claiming allegiance to a leader of Islamic State before he was shot dead.

 

Prosecutors said Salman cased possible attack sites with her husband and did nothing to stop his plans. They claimed she initially told investigators her husband acted without her knowledge but later said she knew he was watching Islamic State videos, had purchased an assault rifle, and examined three possible attack locations.

 

However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation did not record the interrogation and the defense said she was coerced into making statements.

 

The jury appeared to believe the defense portrayal of Salman as a battered spouse kept in the dark, said David Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor and now a partner at Coral Gables, Florida-based Hinshaw & Culbertson.

 

"The lack of a videotaped confession had to have had an impact on the jury's acceptance of her confession. ... It is clear they believed it was coerced," Weinstein said in a statement.

 

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-03-31

[Xonax]

That is just ridiculous.  She knew that he was planning to create terror and did nothing to stop his plans.

Edited March 31, 2018 by Xonax

[stevenl]

19 minutes ago, Xonax said:

That is just ridiculous.  She knew that he was planning to create terror and did nothing to stop his plans.

And you have better knowledge of this case than the jury how exactly?

[boomerangutang]

It's very common for a freak (bent on destruction) to share his/her obsessions with a spouse or someone close to him.   However, it's not easy to bust the other person - for knowing what might ensue.

 

I wish it were easier to bust a person for such things.

[Bluespunk]

5 hours ago, rooster59 said:

 

"The lack of a videotaped confession had to have had an impact on the jury's acceptance of her confession. ... It is clear they believed it was coerced," Weinstein said in a statement.

It is indeed highly suspicious, as the fbi has been required to videotape most interviews since 2014. 

[metisdead]

A troll post containing off topic trolling comments has been removed. 

[atyclb]

6 hours ago, metisdead said:

A troll post containing off topic trolling comments has been removed. 

 

 

might your avatar be of Columbo? (peter falk)  that was great show

[dave_boo]

It's a bit hard to have sympathy for her. Despite the understanding of how women of that religion are generally treated with justification lifted from their scriptures practically demanding a modicum of pity or understanding her actions following the murders makes it hard to impossible to find any.

 

Let's not forget that she disappeared for quite a while afterwards. Or that she deleted her social media accounts. Or was in contact during the shooting when she sent a message proclaiming her love.

 

It's also interesting that the FBI had the shooter's father as an informant. Raises questions as to whether that had any affect on the two previous investigations into the shooter. Could even lead one to wonder if there was deliberate obfuscation by not following procedures to protect an asset. A cynic could say that the 49 lives lost and hundreds or thousands shattered was worth any actionable intel gleaned but I don't buy that. 

 

I'm not a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist but this whole thing stinks. There's just too many happy coincidences for this result to actually be serendipity. 

 

I am also not a fan of the sue happy lawyers; but in this case I'd make an exception. Even though the criminal case was lost and double jeopardy prevents another trial, a civil case for wrongful death with the FBI as a co-defendant should in my opinion go forward.

[Langsuan Man]

Despite the pundits there is no legal requirement for a civilian to report a crime in Florida

 

source: https://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/21/us/crime-bystanders-no-charges/index.html

[ELVIS123456]

I agree - a civil case is likely to be lodged, and even though there is little likelihood of getting damages, that this #### will have to go through more trials and public hatred is a good thing. 

 

It never ceases to amaze me that in the West a woman can be married to a great golfer (like say Greg Norman) and despite having no ability to play the game, and even less ability to help him play the game, when a divorce occurs she is entitled to a large share of the assets and earnings that he won in his career.  The automatic decision (in western courts) is that the wife contributed to his ability to earn money as a professional sportsman by supporting him as his wife, and is therefore entitled to a large share of those earnings.  But .... if a man is a career criminal who has committed many serious crimes over many years, the wife can get a divorce and will be viewed as having had absolutely nothing to do with it and she can (and they do) walk away with any assets and income that is in her name. 

 

One day, in the future, I am hopeful that women like this, who aid and abet their husbands in committing a crime are automatically found guilty by association. The onus should be on them to prove they did not contribute to his crime.  If western women are automatically given the benefits of a good outcome in their marriage, then should they also not automatically be given the punishment of a bad outcome?  Sure - if he dominated and controlled and she had nothing at all to do with it, then she should be able to walk away.  But clearly her behaviors were that of a person who was guilty by association.  As in another story, the foreman of the jury has stated in the press that the jury knew she was guilty, but under the instructions they were given, they could not find her guilty.

 

She was found not guilty, but she is not innocent.

 

[simple1]

2 hours ago, dave_boo said:

It's a bit hard to have sympathy for her. Despite the understanding of how women of that religion are generally treated with justification lifted from their scriptures practically demanding a modicum of pity or understanding her actions following the murders makes it hard to impossible to find any.

 

Let's not forget that she disappeared for quite a while afterwards. Or that she deleted her social media accounts. Or was in contact during the shooting when she sent a message proclaiming her love.

 

It's also interesting that the FBI had the shooter's father as an informant. Raises questions as to whether that had any affect on the two previous investigations into the shooter. Could even lead one to wonder if there was deliberate obfuscation by not following procedures to protect an asset. A cynic could say that the 49 lives lost and hundreds or thousands shattered was worth any actionable intel gleaned but I don't buy that. 

 

I'm not a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist but this whole thing stinks. There's just too many happy coincidences for this result to actually be serendipity. 

 

I am also not a fan of the sue happy lawyers; but in this case I'd make an exception. Even though the criminal case was lost and double jeopardy prevents another trial, a civil case for wrongful death with the FBI as a co-defendant should in my opinion go forward.

Apparently prosecutor falsified evidence against the wife.

 

https://theintercept.com/2018/03/30/noor-salman-widow-of-pulse-killer-omar-mateen-is-found-not-guilty-of-all-charges/?utm_source=The+Intercept+Newsletter&utm_campaign=b91901c276-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_03_31&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e00a5122d3-b91901c276-131726021

 

 

Edited April 1, 2018 by simple1

[stevenl]

2 hours ago, dave_boo said:

It's a bit hard to have sympathy for her. Despite the understanding of how women of that religion are generally treated with justification lifted from their scriptures practically demanding a modicum of pity or understanding her actions following the murders makes it hard to impossible to find any.

 

Let's not forget that she disappeared for quite a while afterwards. Or that she deleted her social media accounts. Or was in contact during the shooting when she sent a message proclaiming her love.

 

It's also interesting that the FBI had the shooter's father as an informant. Raises questions as to whether that had any affect on the two previous investigations into the shooter. Could even lead one to wonder if there was deliberate obfuscation by not following procedures to protect an asset. A cynic could say that the 49 lives lost and hundreds or thousands shattered was worth any actionable intel gleaned but I don't buy that. 

 

I'm not a tin foil hat conspiracy theorist but this whole thing stinks. There's just too many happy coincidences for this result to actually be serendipity. 

 

I am also not a fan of the sue happy lawyers; but in this case I'd make an exception. Even though the criminal case was lost and double jeopardy prevents another trial, a civil case for wrongful death with the FBI as a co-defendant should in my opinion go forward.

You're wrong, it is a tin foiled hat conspiracy theory.

[dave_boo]

9 minutes ago, stevenl said:

You're wrong, it is a tin foiled hat conspiracy theory.

Ah OK. My scalp was feeling a bit toasty.

 

Were any of my stated facts wrong or could you explain, assuming that they are correct, what one should presume from the chain of actions this lady undertook?

 

Don't get me wrong; I believe we went to the moon; there wasn't any one on a grassy knoll, Trump did an RJ Kelly on that hooker,  etc. Conspiracy theories are hard to swallow because they presuppose a competent group of people in the government being able to keep secrets. And anyone with just a decent sized number of family members knows that's impossible. 

 

However, stupid decisions and attempts to cover them up are par for the course. Iran-contra affair. Banging interns who won't swallow. Waterboarding Khalid Sheikh Mohammed an extra 182 times for lolz or something. Operation Fast and Furious. (Sorry but the only bad thing I could remember from Bush Senior was the "Read my lips"...). Thus I can very easily understand the FBI screwing up (again!) and trying to wiggle out of it.