Trial for wife of Pulse nightclub gunman will stay in Orlando, judge rules
The widow of Pulse nightclub gunman Omar Mateen will stand trial in Orlando, home to the nation's second deadliest mass shooting in modern history, after a federal judge ruled staying in the city wouldn't prevent a fair trial.
Lawyers for Noor Salman had fought to move the case outside the city, arguing intense media coverage of the shooting could prompt bias in potential jurors. U.S. District Judge Paul Byron denied the request Tuesday, court documents show.
Salman has been behind bars for nearly a year since her January arrest. She's facing federal charges of obstruction of justice and aiding and abetting by providing material support to a terrorist organization. If convicted, Salman could face life in prison.
More: Hero cop of Pulse shooting is being terminated from force
Trials are required to be held in the district where the alleged crime happens unless there is "extraordinary local prejudice" to prevent a fair trial, Byron wrote in the ruling, adding he didn't find anything that would merit a relocation.
Lawyers for Salman, who lived in Fort Pierce, Fla., with Mateen and their toddler before the attack, argued news coverage by local, national and international media showed bias against her and was framed to make her appear guilty.
The lawyers cited news stories, including several that included texts she and Mateen exchanged during his attack at the LGBT nightclub, which left 49 people dead and dozens more injured.
The texts did not include the full context of their conversation and created an impression that she may have known about his plans, Salman's lawyers argued in court documents.
More: FBI arrests wife of Orlando nightclub shooter Omar Mateen
Byron noted that Salman shared the text messages with The New York Times in an interview after the attack. She also told the Times she saw Mateen watching jihadist videos and knew he'd been interviewed twice by the FBI, court documents show.
Salman's lawyers also claimed Orlando Police Chief John Mina made a series of comments that could have created bias against her, including a Twitter post where he wrote he was glad she was charged.
Byron said that point was moot because Mina never claimed Salman was guilty or spoke about any evidence law enforcement collected in the case against her. He said Mina's comments had a relatively small reach and the court encompasses more than 2.8 million people, a massive pool to find a fair jury.
Attorneys are using the uncommon additional step of having potential jurors fill out questionnaires, which will help in the selection process, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
Salman's trial is scheduled to start in March.