Waiting for the Verdict in the Noor Salan Trial.

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The prosecution and defense had finished their closing statements in the Noor Salman trial before lunch. Judge Paul G. Byron send the jury to deliberate when everyone got back from lunch. I wrote an article at my apartment figuring it was safe to be away from the court house for a while. All afternoon the jury discussed the case and the media waited in the designated media room. Since the courtrooms were closed up, I had to wait in the media room as well. This was my first time in the room since I  hadn’t really needed to use it during the trial. When I had wanted to write an article, I simply walked back to my downtown apartment. Now however I couldn’t leave. The jury could reach a verdict at any time. Several times the jury asked to see more evidence. When that would happen, the media would rush to the courtroom and Judge Byron would provide what her could to the jury. When I returned from my apartment, I got through the security for one of these evidence requests, I was just about to sit down and it was over. I hadn’t gotten my belt or shoes back on yet from the security check. The jury went back to deliberate.

Walking to the media room I ran into a reporter from CNN who wanted to buy some of my courtroom sketches for broadcast.  On the very first day of the trail, at 7:30 a.m., I stood at the entrance of the courthouse with Dan, a CNN reporter waiting for the doors to open. We discussed the case and I told him of my trials and tribulations of not being able to get into courtroom 4B. I suspect he put in a good word for me. My work apparently is to expensive to be used by Orlando news stations, but CNN knew they were getting what they paid for. These would be my only sales during the course of this month long trial. Otherwise, I was a volunteer citizen reporter with a sketchbook.

Sequestered away in the media room, we all wondered if the jury would be able  to reach a verdict on this first afternoon of deliberations. With over 64 bits of evidence and testimony to consider, that seemed unlikely to me. Reporters leaned into their laptops typing their copy for the day. I stood and drew them at work for the first time. Some reporters were in the hallway recording audio for broadcast. An intern was helping a radio reporter by reading some of the report into a microphone. He didn’t finish every task on point, but she was grateful for the help. Some reporters had been here since the beginning, following every nuance of the trial. Other reporters had been sent her at the last minute to be on hand to report the verdict only. I identified with certain reporters from Channel 9 News who felt a sense of ownership of the case, feeling it was best reported by locals who were most effected by the tragedy itself. Being in the media overflow courtroom with then each day I got to hear their opinions about how the trial was progressing.

Five o’clock approached and we all thought the jury might pull in a last minute verdict. It was past most reporters deadlines for the day’s report on the evening news. We were told that the jury might want to stay and order in food to deliberate late into the evening. If a reporter left to get dinner, they wouldn’t be able to get back into the court house for security reasons. Most security officers would go home for the night.  I was told that if the jury had decided to stay late, then a verdict was very close, but if Judge Byron insisted they they continue to deliberate then they were not close. I am not sure which was the case. While some reporters were scrambling to make take out orders, a court officer  entered the media room again and said that the jury had changed it’s mind. They were going home for the day. The jury deliberation would continue starting at 9 a.m. the next morning.

Closing Statements in the Noor Salman Trial

Posted on by Thor

There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

 The court day began with Judge Paul G. Byron wanting to get a confirmation from Noor Salman that she did not want to testify in court. She spoke for the first time with a quiet “No.” Sarah Sweeney presented the prosecution’s closing statements. She would go through the several hundred items of evidence and use that to prove what Salman knew and what she did leading up to the attack. She said that everything Salman did was a green light for her husband to attack. Exhibits 1-99 covered Noor Salman’s written statements and evidence from her apartment. Exhibits 100-199 revolved around Pulse and the exhibits from 200 and up involved banking and spending.

The first part of the prosecution’s case involved proving obstruction of justice. She pointed out that Noor gave misleading information to Lieutenant William Hall, Agent Christopher Mayo, Agent T.J.Sypniewski, and Agent Ricardo Enriquez. She gave false statements and partial statements tat were intended to obscure the full truth. She claimed that Omar Mateen disconnected Facebook in 2013 and yet she communicated with him via Facebook in 2014. She claimed that her husband didn’t use the Internet in their apartment. She claimed that her husband was moderate, but an ISIS flag was found in the apartment and he had videos of be-headings on his computer. Mateen left their apartment on June 11, 2016 with a firearm but she claimed he only had one gun. Yet she knew there was a riffle case in their car since she wanted it removed before she took her drivers test. She lied twice saying he was at dinner with Nemo on June11, 2016. The broadest lie was that she didn’t know he was going to plan a terrorist attack.

Sweeney changed tack from everything said during the course of the trial saying that the target of the attack that night was NOT the Pulse Nightclub but rather Disney Springs. She also claimed that Noor knew the target was Disney. That would explain Noor’s odd comment when Lieutenant William Hall asked her to leave her apartment for questioning. She said, “Are they going to bring me to Disney?” Sweeney also claimed that Noor was confused during questioning and thought that Pulse was at Disney. When Noor could not reach her husband on the night of June11, 2016, she knew that he had committed the attack.

The couples finances consisted of an average monthly credit card bill of $1500. But From June 5 to 15, 2016 the couple spent $26,000. There were gaps in Mateen’s Internet browsing activity between 2:09a.m. and 9a.m. in which he might have shown his wife his intended target although it might not have been Pulse. Google history ended on his computer on June 10, 2016 and started again on June 12, 2016 with his search for Eve. 

Proving aiding and abetting was the prosecution’s biggest challenge. They needed to show that Noor provided material support to ISIS.  Showing Omar’s material support was easy. Sweeney showed a still from the Pulse surveillance camera that showed Omar shooting people at point blank range. But did Noor provide the same support as she slept at home?

The defense closing arguments by Charles Swift brought up some new points in Noor’s defense. A baby carriage and doll were found by Omar Mateen’s rental van parked near Pulse. But his son is too old for such a carriage. The new theory was that Omar intended to use the baby carriage to transport his rifle into Disney Springs without raising suspicion. If that were the case and Noor was an accomplice, wouldn’t it make more sense to have her push the baby carriage? Was she a victim or accomplice? Swift argued Mateen had no reason to involve his wife in his plan
to carry out mass murder June 12, 2016. “Why would he tell her?” he said. “I cannot think of an earthly reason for
it. I cannot think of one. What could she help him with?”

The defense acknowledged the heartbreaking grief of the community but reminded the jury to look at all the facts. Defense attorney Lisa Morino reminded the jury that Noor simply struggled educationally. She painted a picture of her as a simple housewife who loved her
child and was more concerned with reading romance novels that in world
politics.That she could not accept money for baby sitting a friends child. Pulse she stressed was a random target. “Where are all the girls at?” Omar asked the Pulse security, meaning he didn’t know where he was. Omar didn’t respect his wife. Why would he confide in her? She was dependent on him not the other way around. If he didn’t know what his target was that night, how could she know? The dead have been given the truth in this trial. The tragedy shouldn’t be pinned on Noor. The true terrorist was already killed by police on the evening of the attack. “Don’t makeNoor Salman the last victim of Omar Mateen.” Swift concluded.


After closing statements, Judge Byron read the 57 pages of jury instructions. Basically they had to decide on two counts. One was obstruction of justice and the other was aiding and abetting.

The jury instructions said convicting Salman “Requires proof that
(she was) intentionally associated with or participated in the crime,
not just proof that (she) was simply present at the scene of a crime or
knew about it.” The help can be just
about anything including, “financial services, lodging, safe houses,
false documentation or identification, communications equipment,
facilities and weapons.” If convicted, Noor could face life in prison.

Transition: An Original Docudrama

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Transition is an original docudrama directed by the Valencia College Theater program chair John DiDonna. The show explores the lives, concerns and obstacles facing those in and through a period of gender transition. It was created through interviews with members of the transgender community.

The show started off the entire cast entering the black box theater telling tales of Greek myths. The pace was hurried with members of the cast obsessionally talking over one another. Then the cast settled in and we were allowed to meet each in turn as they discussed their lives. For some, gender was fluid, not as sharply defined as the blue and pink world that delineates boys and girls from childhood on.

A relationship developed between a woman who fell in love with a man who was transitioning into womanhood. He pushed her away feeling she was naive, but she persisted and she was with him through his entire transition. The important theme throughout was that we should all be accepting and love one another.

The word SEX was boldly projected on the screen. The entire case suddenly grew quiet and uncomfortable. It was a comic moment that grew as the moment lengthened. One cat member walked the runway out into the audience dressed in his khaki shorts, a t shirt and open dress shirt. He must have once been female, but I couldn’t tell. He glanced at the word and looked back out at the audience and finally said “heel no.” and walked back to the cast.

By the end of the show the cast held one another as each in turn asked for  understanding as they moved forward with their lives. Shots of estrogen or testosterone defined their gradual transformations. Skin grew smoother or voices changed pitch. Each wanted what we all want, acceptance and love. This was a unique evening of beautiful people sharing their stories.

The remaining show dates are:

April 7, 9 13 and 14, 2018 at 7:30 p.m.

April 8 and 15, 2018 at 2:00 p.m.

The performance on April 14 will have an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter.

Pricing:

$12 General Admission

$10 Students, Alumni, Faculty, Staff and Seniors.

Save with you-pick packages. Mix and match any dance and theater performance.

Four tickets for $36 or eight for $60.

Where:

Valencia College East Campus, Black Box Theater

701 N. Econlockhatchee Trail Orlando Fl 32825

Weekend Top 6 Picks for April 7 and 8, 2018

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Saturday April 7, 2018

8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Free. Lake Virginia Watershed Cleanup. Dinky Dock 410 Ollie Ave, Winter Park, Florida 32789. In conjunction with Keep America Beautiful’s Great American
Cleanup, join us as we clean-up litter in and around Lake Virginia.
Activities may include but are not limited to picking up litter in and
around the lake – stooping, kneeling, and bending.

Breakfast, volunteer t-shirt, snacks, and water will be provided. We
will also provide litter grabbers, safety vests, gloves and garbage
bags.
Please remember to bring a reusable water bottle, wear
closed-toe shoes, hats, and long pants, & carpool! Kayaks and
paddle boarders are welcome!
To register, please visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/city-of-winter-park-sustainability-program-5593791349

11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free. Spring Market at Audubon. Audubon Park Garden District Orlando, Florida 32803. Come out for Central Florida’s best artists, native and Florida
friendly plants, locally produced artisanal foods, handmade crafts,
music, food trucks and more at APGD’s Spring Market at Audubon.

8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Free. Shuffleboard at Orlando’s Beardall Courts. Orlando’s Beardall Courts 800 Delaney Ave Orlando FL. 1st Saturday of each month. Free fun! https://www.facebook.com/OrlandoShuffle?notif_t=fbpage_fan_invite

Sunday April8, 2018

9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. $275.00 for 6 classes.Crealde Urban Sketch Class. Crealde School of Art, 600 St Andrews Blvd, Winter Park, FL 32792. Urban Sketcher Thomas Thorspecken teaches you to sketch from studio subjects to the environment. Classroom sessions will
focus on sketching clothed models and progress towards sketching the
model and classroom environment. Learn how to incorporate storytelling
into your sketches in our location sessions. These trips to local venues
will challenge you to use your sketchbook the way a photojournalist
uses a camera. The six-week goal is to produce finished sketches using
pencil, pen, and watercolor within two hours. Main Campus

Room 1B.

11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. $12. Locally Fresh. Enzian Theater 1300 S Orlando Ave, Maitland, Florida 32751. Feed all your senses! Central Florida foodies partner-up with local
filmmakers at this utterly unique (and mouth-watering) event—a festival
favorite! Filmmakers dig into the stock and trade of what makes Central
Florida delicious. Watch their documentaries, accompanied by cooking
demonstrations and sumptuous samples. A feast for the eyes and the taste
buds.
Locally Fresh! Farmers Market
Noon-2:30PM Free.
Lawn at Eden Bar
After Locally Fresh! Scrumptious Cinema, the lawn at Eden Bar
transforms into a Farmers Market, filled with local products fresh from
the field. Get to know Central Florida’s finest farmers and vendors, and
don’t miss this delicious opportunity to take some local goodies home
for your own feast.

1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Free. Family Day on the Second Sunday. The Mennello Museum of American Art, 900 East Princeton Street, Orlando, FL 32803. The make-and-take craft table is open from noon-2:30 p.m., and docents
are available to give mini-tours of the museum. Then it’s open house in
the galleries until 4:30 p.m.

The Final Defense Witness

Posted on by Thor

There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

 Dr. Frumkin was the final witness for the defense. He is a clinical and forensic psychologist. His main office is in South Miami. He specializes in disputed confessions. This is when someone partially confesses and then retracts the confession. he was paid $390 an hour to testify and had been paid $130,000 to date to conduct interviews accessing Noor Salman.

He spoke of a college study in which students were told to write their papers on a certain computer and warned that if they pressed the alt key, the computer would crash. A remote system was set up so that the computer could be crashed remotely. When asked about the crashes, students would often confess. In another study, students would have three interviews with researchers and the idea that the student committed a felony as a child was planted into the discussion. Students would begin to accept this altered history. The Dr. noted that the average interrogation is 1.5 hours. Any interrogation over 3 hours is excessive. Noor Salman was interrogated for over 11 hours.

Frumkin has a test which gauges how a subject yields to untrue facts. He called this the yield shift sustainability score. In his talks with Noor, he found her to have odd thinking. She was alienated, self conscious and introverted. Her emotions were all over the place, like a yo-yo as she put it. She suffered from auditory hallucinations, hearing banging sounds and smelling the cologne from her deceased grandfather. She is anxious in a room alone and obsessively scratches her arms. She is anxious when she eats around other people. She calls her son every day at 3 p.m.

He said that Noor is more accommodating that 90% of the population and that she is more anxious than 96% of the population. She is also 90% more deferential and submissive than most people. The Wexler intelligence scale rated her at 4 with an IQ of 84 meaning that 86% of people are brighter than her and that she is in the lower 14 percentile range. The college Noor attended was a for profit institution and it was shut down because the institution lied about the placements of grads in the workplace.

The Reed Technique of interrogation was used on Noor Salman by the FBI. Officers at first accept denials and minimize the seriousness of the offense. Te technique is used to get facts from guilty suspects but it can also elicit false confessions from someone who is eager to please and susceptible to coercion. The interrogation escalated into confrontation and a refusal to allow denials. Step 9 of the process is writing down confessions of the suspect and having them initial those documents.

The Dr. stresses the Noor is more likely to give a false confession because of her mental illness, anxiety and the fact that she isn’t very bright. Sleep deprivation makes one more susceptible and Noor was suffering from menstrual cramps when her was being interrogated.

Sarah Sweeney of the prosecution cross examined the Dr. She wanted to know more about the GSS test which is designed to access susceptibility and suggestibility. He admitted that as intelligence goes up, the susceptibility to yield went down. Sarah noted that Noor was removed from a special ed class in 5th grade because of her academic progress. When discussing Noor’s obsessive compulsive disorder, Sarah showed a photo from Noors home of her dresser. It was covered with lots of brightly colored baubles. She asked the doctor if she moved an object on that dresser, a half inch would Noor notice? He claimed she would. I believe she was trying to prove that an obsessive compulsive person wouldn’t live in such chaos, but to me she proved the opposite. According to the Dr. Noor fully denied knowing what was going to happen but then “gave in” when an officer refused too believe her. She tried to give the officers what they wanted so she could get home to her son.

Another stipulation of testimony was read to the jury by the defense. It was by Pulse security guard Neal Whittleton who describing a short conversation
with Mateen minutes before the attack began.

Matten said to him, “Hey, why is it so slow tonight? Where are all the girls at?” That was an odd statement making it seem like Omar had no idea he was in a gay club. Whittleton
walked away from him and over to a DJ booth. He said he could feel
someone staring at him and looked up to see it was Mateen. “You’re security, right?”  “I see you here all the time.” Mateen said. Whittleton did not recognize Mateen. “He was trying to see if I had a gun
on me,” Whittleton later realized. “I had no idea that he was
the shooter.”

Defense Witnesses Took the Stand in Quick Succession

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Delvas Salman is the Uncle of Noor Salman. He has lived in Rodeo California since 1971. He spoke of Noor with affection. When he recalled when she introduced Omar Mateen to the family he remembered saying to him, “I trust you with my niece.” He got choked up with that memory and had to take a sip of water to recover his composure. Most of Mr. Salman’s testimony painted a picture of his niece as a simple and caring woman. Noor was in an arranged marriage with an abusive man before she married Omar.

Mustafa Abasin is Omar Mateen’s brother in law, married to Mateen’s sister. He was close to Noor Salman because he has children around the same age as her son. Since she didn’t have a drivers license, he would sometimes drive her places.  He said when he talked with her on the car rides it was more like having a conversation with a child.

Noor would offer to watch his children and she refused to take money for the service. She just liked taking care of kids. When she and her son were escorted to the FBI offices to be interrogated, she didn’t know she would be there as long as she was. She was interrogated for over 11 hours. Mustafa was the family member who drove to the FBI offices to pick up her son when he grew restless. Mustafa stopped inn back of the building and walked up to ring the bell. Her son was in a separate room from his mother. The FBI agent said, “She stays.” Many hours later when Noor came to pick up her son at Mustafa’s home, she was visibly upset. She was concerned about her son, fearing that she would loose him because of threads and implications from the FBI agents who spoke to her.

FBI Agent Kubini Martin was invited to the stand as a hostile witness by the defense. He was part of the original investigation team. He stated that Saddiqui Mateen, Omar’s dad was an  FBI informant from 2006 to 2016. As an informant it is kind of insane that he would have no idea of his son’s obsession with ISIS and hisplanned violence of Jihad. Saddiqui claimed ties to Al Qaeda, a militant Sunni Islamist multi-national organization founded in 1988 by Osama bin Laden, as well as Hezbollah, a Shi’a Islamist political party and militant group based in Lebanon.

The FBI launched its first assessment of Omar Mateen in 2013 after he
had allegedly boasted to co-workers at G4S, a security company, that he
had terrorist connections. The FBI reported that it had closed the
investigation after Mateen told agents he made the comment to scare his
co-workers, who were reportedly mocking his religion. One year after closing that first assessment, the FBI opened a second,
spurred by Mateen’s relationship with Moner Mohammad Abusalha, a Florida
man who became the first American suicide bomber in Syria.
Mateen and Abusalha attended the same mosque on Florida’s Atlantic
coast. The FBI, decided that Mateen’s contact with Abusalha was minimal,
closed that assessment as well. The FBI considered turning the younger Mateen into an FBI informant after they investigated him in 2013 and 2014.

Noor was in the house for each of the interviews by the FBI.  She served refreshments including a cake that the agent admitted was delicious. She left the first interview but was there for most of the last interview. Saddique Mateen showed up at that interview as well. The agent speculated about why Saddique had shown up. Had Noor called him? There is also speculation that the investigations might have been shut down because Saddique as an informant told them that they should not be concerned with the actions of his son.

Joshua Horowitz is a cyber forensic consultant. He described Incognito Mode, which allows users who don’t want Google Chrome to remember their activity, to browse the web privately. Omar Mateen last used incognito mode on June 6, 2016 at 9:06 AM. Most of Omar’s searches of ISIS and other terrorist organizations however were done in plain sight. Noor Salman had confessed that on June 10, 2016, Omar showed her the Pulse website on his computer and said, “That is my target.” Joshua was tasked with looking at all the digital devices of Noor and Omar and he came to the conclusion that there is no evidence that Omar showed Noor the Pulse website on June 10th.

He had 3 computers to review along with 4 cell phones and a tablet. Of those devices only a Dell computer and 2 Samsung phones were relevant to the case. The Dell computer had never visited the Pulse website. Incognito mode doesn’t mask web traffic to sites IP addresses. He confirmed that the computer never accessed the Pulse website server. The two cell phone never accessed the Pulse website prior to June 12, 2016. Noor Salman’s phone never visited the Pulse website. Around the time Noor claimed that Omar showed her the Pulse website, he was actually at work.


Richard Connor has done digital forensics since 2006. He performed the forensics on the cell phones of Omar and Noor. He used cell phone tower information and google maps on Omar’s phone to track his activities that night. 

Around 10 a.m. Omar went to Disney Springs. It is possible that this was his intended target that night. Video surveillance showed Omar walking alone through Disney Springs to House of Blues where he brought a t shirt which he later dis-guarded. There was a large police presence near House of Blues that night. Omar left and drove past Epcot. At 12:22 a.m. he searched for Orlando Nightclubs and he put Eve into his goggle maps to get directions too the downtown Orlando Club. Mateen got near EVE (110 South Orange Avenue) about 12:55 a.m. That club had significant security at the entrance and each guest is searched before they can enter.

He did another search in Google for Orlando Nightclubs and found Pulse which he put into google maps. The exact audio directions in that female voice played in the courtroom for Omar’s every move that night. He seemed to drive aimlessly around downtown Orlando and then he drove right past my downtown apartment building before turning south on Summerlin Avenue. He arrived at Pulse around 1:12 and 1:16 a.m. at Pulse, drove around a bit and then at 1:33 a.m. he did another Google search for Eve. He started to head in that direction at 1:34 a.m. but then turned around one minute later and went back to Pulse. He started ignoring the audio  directions he was getting. At 2 a.m. he fired the first shots into helpless victims at the club who were dancing and celebrating after the evenings last call for drinks. The phone in his pocket was still giving him verbal directions as he killed 49 people.

Defense Witnesses in the Noor Salman Case

Posted on by Thor

There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

 After the prosecution rested its case, the defense had a day in which they presented witnesses in the N case. The first witness was Omar Mateen‘s friend Nemo. I did a rather good sketch of him but unfortunately Judge Byron insisted that the sketch must not be published to protect the witnesses identity. Omar would use Nemo as an excuse when he went out to meet older women with whom he had affairs. On June 11, 2016, the evening of the attack, Omar’s mom became concerned since her son had promised to stop by her house and he never showed up. Noor texted Omar that he should use the excuse that he was with Nemo. Omar’s mom however ended up meeting Nemo’s mom at the mosque that night and the mom explained that her son Nemo was away at a medical college in the Caribbean. Omar’s mom kept trying to reach her son on the night of the attack. Nemo would work out with Omar at the gym where Omar would brag about the affairs he was having.

Two women took the stand in short order. I sketched both but later had to surrender the sketches to a U.S. Marshal. The first woman knew Omar for a year and a half. She said she didn’t know Omar was married but did know that he had a child. When asked if she had a romantic relationship with him she paused. The defense showed her Internet messages between herself and Omar and she then admitted that she did make out with him once in her car near his guard booth.The second woman met Omar on the dating site, Plenty of Fish. She invited Omar to her apartment and seemed more open about the fact that she had a relationship with him. The relationship ended when Omar told her that he could not be with her because she was Jewish. His family would not approve. There was high tension in the courtroom because the women had to admit their romantic affairs right in from of Noor who was seated about five yards away.

Dali Achmed started to cry when she saw her friend Noor at the defense table. She wore a hijab. She talked to Noor on June 11, 2016 on the phone. Noor was excited about her planned trip to California. She would always talk about her child. The two women grown up together but had grown apart as they grew older. Of course loving on opposite coasts made staying close harder.

Laurie Jaber was a friend of Noor’s. She had been a brides maid at her wedding to Omar Mateen. They last spoke on June 8, 2016 the day that Noor was approved to get her Florida drivers license. She spoke about how Noor took a job at a grocery store as a cashier. She didn’t like having to deal with the constant math of handing back change so she asked for a transfer. She started working on the docks with inventory working much harder for less pay.

Officer Steve Brown was considered by Omar to be a mentor and a bit of a brother figure. He knew Omar to be a rather conservative in his ways, but was a member of the Democratic party because Democrats could accept his religion. Omar joked around that he liked the homosexual community because they were like pit bulls who stood up for themselves. Defense attorney Charles Swift began asking questions bout Steve’s own views about homosexuals. He towed the line, but then Charles produced Internet messages between Steve and Omar. The officer read the messages and didn’t remember making those statement but they were right there on paper. It was clear that his comments were derogatory. The testimony was probably intended to show that Omar didn’t not attach the Pulse nightclub because he hated homosexuals. Knowing that officers were joking with a mass murderer before the massacre isn’t very reassuring. Attacking the homophobic officer didn’t really help the case, but it was quite dramatic.

Local media seemed to deliver a single homologous caricatured view of the proceedings from inside the courtroom. After the Casey Anthony case they banded together to settle on a single viewpoint when a case gets big. This single mindedness has the obvious drawback of limiting options when covering a story. A very conservative blogger sat next to me for a few minutes in the media room and was escorted out of the building by a US Marshal. The day before she harassed relative of Noor as they walked back to their cars. Judge Byron wrote a media release stating that she could not return to the courthouse. She came back the next day anyway and had to be escorted from the building. Since I was not permitted in the courtroom, I identified with her Facebook Live broadcasts in which she claimed her first amendment rights were being violated. However I needed to stick to every demand of the court so I  could best document the case from as close as I could get. Even closed doors can be a creative challenge.

A Day Without a Jury or Defendant in the Noor Salman Trail

Posted on by Thor

There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

 One day of the trial had no jury or defendant. Noor Salman had the day off. The courtroom 4B rules were relaxed and I was permitted to sit inside courtroom 4B as a member of the public. I was issued a blue slip and told to sit on the court right general public spectator benches.  The day was spent going over a laundry list of what the jury must consider when coming to a verdict. The jury would have to be  unanimous on the charge that Noor aided and abetted her husband Omar Mateen in the mass murder committed at Pulse Nightclub. The prosecution went over a list of what items would be considered aiding and abetting.

1. Noor texted Omar on the night of the attack and told him to tell his mom that he is out with Nemo. This cover story made it seem like Noor was covering for her husband’s actions.

2. The “casing” activities at City Place in West Palm Beach  on June 4-5, 2016. The timeline for this activity was later debunked with cell phone data. There was not enough time for the casing to have occurred. It was still a strange trip to take very late at night with their son Zac who usually went to bed by 9 PM.

3. A May 31, 2016 purchase of ammunition for Omar’s work firearm at Walmart Supercenter. Noor and her son Zac were on that shopping trip. The prosecution wanted to imply that she encouraged the purchase. Omar’s work firearm was not used in the Pulse Nightclub attack.

4. The fact that Noor knew about the new rifle gun case in the family car, because she didn’t want it in the car when she took her driving test. The prosecution claimed that she was getting a Florida driver’s license for the first time because she knew Omar would not be around to drive after the Pulse attack, and the defense said she wanted to be able to drive to bring her son to school.

5. On June 8, 2016, four days before the attack, Noor got her license, shopped at bass Pro shop where Omar got Ammo, went to the Florida Mall where Omar bought her some very expensive jewelry. The woman who sold them the ring noticed a tear in Noor’s eye. Was she happy or sad? The purchase of the over $7000 ring was considered an enticement to lie or
at least not tip off authorities to what Omar was about to do.They then went to Disney Springs, an Arab Restaurant and a mosque. It was on this night that the prosecutors though Noor and Omar went to Pulse but there wasn’t enough time to drive around for 20 minutes.

6. The excessive spending in the month of June leading up to the attack.

7. Omar made Noor a beneficiary of his savings and checking accounts in the event of his death.

The prosecution would have to prove to the jury that Noor knew of Omar’s intent to mass murder innocent civilians with his act of Jihad. They wanted to stress that she was at a repeated series of very important junctures leading up to the attack.  Going to the gun range was a red flag for prosecutors. She told no one about the purchase of the rifle.

The defense countered that the prosecution provided no evidence that Noor knew what “the Act” was going to be. There is no evidence that she supports ISIS. During the course of the trial holes were poked in each of Noor’s six statements written by FBI agent and signed by her. Since she and Omar never went to Pulse before, it seemed to imply that FBI agents had planted information in her testimony.

The afternoon was spent going over the instructions for the jury. Each paragraph was meticulously picked apart to be sure both prosecutors and the defense were satisfied with the wording.

Noor did not plan to testify and the jury would be instructed not to consider this as a presumption of guilt. The jurors would have to weigh the testimony from each witness. They would have to consider the circumstances and weather the witness was credible or reliable. They would need to consider the witnesses age, and training.

Omar provided material support to the Islamic state. Did Noor intend to aid in the material support of ISIS? The prosecution wanted to point out that aiding and abetting can be done with a happy heart, or a sense of foreboding. Did she intend to bring about the crime? On the count of Obstruction of justice, did Noor mislead FBI agents with the statement she made on the morning after the Pulse Nightclub attack. Dis she knowingly leave things out of her statements? Once someone chooses to testify, they must do so truthfully. The venue for the obstruction of justice charge was Central Florida. Since Noor lived in Fort Pierce, the prosecutors needed to prove that her statement were intended to mislead investigators in Central Florida.

The instructions acted as a framework for the jury’s deliberations.

The last 3 Prosecution Witnesses.

Posted on by Thor

There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

 FBI Special Agent Richard Fennern used cell phone tower data to track Omar Mateen and Noor Salman‘s locations on the days leading up to the Pulse Nightclub Massacre. In a stunning turn of events he had to conceded that neither hone had been anywhere near Pulse Prior to the evening of the attack. The couple had gone to Disney Springs with their son, after shopping Omar went with his son to a mosque and Noor went to King O’ Falafel. Given the locations of the cell phones and the times, it became clear that the couple never actually had time to drive around Pulse for 20 minutes as Noor claimed.

Judge Paul G. Byron stopped the proceedings to find out when the prosecution had known this fact. The judge had overruled a possible bail for Noor leading up to the trial largely because the prosecution kept hammering away at Noor’s testimony which stated that she and Omar has driven around Pulse with the windows down for 20 minutes in the weeks before the attack. The prosecution confessed that they knew that the testimony was false only a week after the attack. They even used the false confession in the trial itself.

The defense asked that Noor be released on bail considering that the prosecution had with held evidence. They might have taken a different form of defense had they known that the phone data confirmed that neither Noor or Omar had ever been to Pulse prior to June 2, 2016. Another bomb shell was the revelation that Omar’s dad was an FBI informant, and that he is now under investigation for sending money to Afghanistan and Turkey presumably to help in attacks on Pakistan. Suddenly  Seddique Mateen seems a more likely co-conspirator in the Pulse attack. The request by the defense was denied.

Most of the day’s testimony from Fenner went over Omar’s many ISIS searches on the Internet and the spending spree in the week before the attack. Cross examination showed that Omar’s parents were on the Disney Springs trip. Noor texted Omar when she wanted to buy sun glasses. Since Omar was the family provider, he didn’t have to ask when he purchased ammo, a rifle and a Glock handgun. Noor did know the rifle was in back of the family car since she wanted the gun removed before she took her driving test. Video was shown of Omar Mateen purchasing the SIG Sauer MCX assault riffle. Menacingly he looked down the length of the rifle multiple times perhaps imagining his future targets.

Michael McFarlan was an FBI electronics engineer for the last 6.5 years. He looked dapper in his blue bow tie. He holds a BA in computer engineering and computer science. He looked over all the text message information and analyzed the Facebook information. If data had been removed from the devices, the information would not immediately be overwritten. During his testimony a photo was shown of Noor at a bank machine withdrawing money.

Steve McCabe went over the couples finances and tax information. Between June 1 and 13, 2016 the couple spent $26,632.22 on their credit cards. Expenses included…

Saint Lucie Gun Sales  $1837.29

Kay Jewelers  $7,552.49

Kay Jewelers $1,165.49

Take out food $1,002.56

Gun Range $3,749.32

In previous years he had spent about $231 at the gun range.

The average expenses between 2010 and 2015 were about $1,556.60 per month. The June 2016 expenses were 26,532,22. In June $7,206.70 was withdrawn from the PNC bank account.

Noor’s name was not on the credit card. She had no access to the PNC bank account although she was made a beneficiary should Omar die. She did not get $32,000 on June 11, 2016. She would likely be deeply in debt if she were not behind bars. Her son Zac is with her grand parents during the trail.

A Tech Trail leading up to Mass Murder

Posted on by Thor

There is some sensitive content and disturbing details included
within. If you feel you may be affected, please do not read this post.

 Kim Rosencrans is an FBI Information Technology Specialist. He is part of the computer response team called CART. He analyzed the date recovered from Omar Mateen‘s Cellphone. Starting on May 20, 2016 he noticed Google searches for ISIS. On May 21, 2016 there was a search at 6:27 PM for ISIS Spit Face. This article urged Muslims to “Spit in their face and run over them with your cars.” On May 22nd, Omar viewed a video in which an ISIS spokesman urged Ramadan attacks in Europe and America. On May 27th he was searching for firearms, at the online Brass Pro Shop. he also did a search for the Saint Lucy Shooting Center and he read about the Paris Terrorist attacks. On May 28th he went to LiveLeak.com and looked at an Orange Jump Suit ISIS video. In that video ISIS put people on Orange jumpsuits and executed them. He searched for cheap flights to Istanbul, Turkey. He also began researching the FBI along with Disney live Web Cams. He read an article about a terrorist who deliberately shut off his phone for several hours to drop off the FBI’s radar right before an attack.

In June, 2016 he read an article about 9 ways that people are being spied on every day.

1, License plate readers.

2. Sidewalk Cameras

3. Public transportation.

4. Credit and Loyalty Cards.

5. On the phone.

6. While watching TV.

7. Sitting at your computer.

8. Sending and receiving e-mails.

9. Surfing the Internet.

You might think Omar would leave no trail given his research, but he was lazy leaving behind a clear road map of his every move.

In June he began researching how the FBI was entrapping suspects in the ISIS war. In a shocking revelation in court it was uncovered the Omar’s Dad was an FBI Informant from 2005 to 2016. Omar was questioned by the FBI in 2013 for bragging to co workers at his security company that he had ties to ISIS. The FBI gave up on him as a suspect perhaps because his father was an informant. In one of the “scouting” videos at Disney Springs, Noor can be seen holding Zac on her hip and then the defense pointed out another man in a blue shirt. That man was Omar’s dad who was also “scouting” the location. He thumbed through shirts hanging on a rack, while Noor took photos of her son. 

Noor texted Omar…

N.  I told your parents you are paying for Cali with points from PNC and your job.

O.  K

N.  I’ll be waiting. 😊

On June 11, 2016 Omar had plenty of ISIS searches on his phone. He powered off his phone going dark until just before the Pulse Nightclub attack. Noor texted…

N.  She (Omar’s mom) asked where you were. XOXO

N.  What time does everyone go to Mosque.

N.  If your mom calls say Nemo invited you out and Noor wants to stay home.

N.  Call your mom she is worried.

N. Love you.

N. Sabrina stopped by.

N. Getting my food to go.

N. Told mom I didn’t have the car.

N. Wanted to stay home LOL.

N. I’m home XOXO.

Omar was Googling Disney Springs on the evening of June 11, 2016 and could be seen on security footage at Disney springs. There was a large police presence at the Disney shopping area that night. Just past midnight Omar took a 17 second phone call from his mom. Omar left Disney and started searching for Downtown Orlando Nightclubs.

Noor sent Omar a text…

N.  Omar call me. We are so very worried. Please call me.

N.  Habibi where are you?

N.  Where are you?

O.  Everything OK?

N.  Your mom is worried and so am I. You know you have to work tomorrow right?

O.  You heard what happened?

N.  ????

N.  What happened?

O.  I love you babe.

N.  Habibi what happened?

FBI Counter Terrorism Information Technology Specialist Stephen Boise discussed information found on Noor Salman’s cell phone. He habitually reached up to touch the knot of his tie when he answered questions. On the evening of the Pulse Nightclub attack she was at home shopping for leather jackets. Omar had lavished many gifts on her in the weeks leading up to the attack running up over $26,000 in credit card dept. The family usually spent $1,556 on credit cards each month.

It was noted that Noor and Omar were friends on Facebook. I am amazed that this is considered important information in a mass murder trial. but Facebook photos of Noor were helpful to show that she had a wedding ring although Omar spent over $7000 on another ring in the days before the attack. Noor deleted messages on the night of the attack. Charles Swift on cross examination of Boise, asked the agent if Noor regularly deleted texts. Of the 2000 pages of texts he had researched, he couldn’t decide if she regularly deleted texts. He did not want to conceded that she might do this as habit rather than s a sure sign of guilt. There were no Islamic extremist posts from Noor no political posts. There were no searches for Pulse, guns, Disney Springs or the FBI on her phone.