NOT GUILTY verdict for Noor Salman

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On the third day of deliberations the jury in the trial of Noor Salman announced that they had a verdict. The media was alerted by the court with an e-mail. It said, “Judge Byron’s Chambers has
just notified us that the jury has reached its verdict. The verdict will
be published in open court in approximately 30 minutes. If you want to
hear the verdict you must be in either Courtroom 4B (if you have a red
media ticket) or in Courtroom 3A.” I asked the court’s media relations officer if I could get into courtroom 4B this one last time for the announcement. She agreed and I was given a blue ticket at the last moment when she was sure the room was not full, which allowed me to enter as a member of the public. I settled in quickly, put on my binocular glasses and focused only on Noor and her attorneys as the jury entered.

The verdict was handed to a clerk of the court and she read each count. The room grew silent. Noor listened with her hand to her mouth and tears in her eyes. She was found not guilty of obstruction of justice, and not guilty of aiding and abetting her husband in his plans to murder 49 people inside the Pulse Nightclub on June 12, 2016. She broke down and sobbed when she realized she had been cleared of all charges. Her uncle and a cousin seated two rows behind her also cried when they heard the news. They huddled together hugging as they sobbed. My side of the courtroom had victims’ families and survivors who were eerily silent and stone-faced. It was all over in a matter of 5 minutes. I only had enough time to scratch out the gesture of the attorney Fritz Scheller comforting Noor. I rushed back to my studio a few blocks away to finish up the sketch. I was one of the first people to exit the courtroom. The phalanx of TV cameras were waiting to hear the verdict first hand.

“Noor can go home now to her son, resume her life and try to pick up the
pieces from two years in jail,” The family spokeswoman Susan Clary
said, adding that the relatives were grateful for the verdict. Salman’s relatives and Clary said they were sorry for the victims and survivors. Defense attorney Linda Moreno also expressed admiration for the victims’ families and survivors.

“We’re
very grateful to this jury and to the Orlando community,” she said.
“Maybe this was the only community that could do this.”

The jury foremen felt the need to contact the media to explain the verdict that had been reached. “As foreperson of the jury in the Noor Salman trial I felt it
important that I present a juror’s perspective of the verdicts. I am
giving you my perspective, and not speaking for the entire jury. My
initial inclination was not to communicate with the news media at all,
however once I returned home and watched the news coverage of the
reactions to the verdicts I felt compelled to at least clarify several
misconceptions.

First, I want to express my deepest sympathy to
family and friends of the victims of this senseless tragedy. I
understand the desire to hold someone accountable for this heinous act
of violence. Omar Mateen is dead. He cannot be punished. It is only
logical the world would look next to Noor Salman.

These past few days have been very difficult. We listened
carefully to opening arguments, testimonies from both prosecution and
defense witnesses, viewed many exhibits and heard closing statements. We
received many pages of documentation from the court outlining very
specific instructions related to the charges and how we should apply the
law. We used these detailed instructions, our courtroom notes, and all
evidence presented by both sides in our deliberations.

Having said
that, I want to make several things very clear. A verdict of not guilty
did NOT mean that we thought Noor Salman was unaware of what Omar
Mateen was planning to do. On the contrary we were convinced she did
know. She may not have known what day, or what location, but she knew.
However, we were not tasked with deciding if she was aware of a
potential attack. The charges were aiding and abetting and obstruction
of justice. I felt that both the prosecution and the defense did an
excellent job presenting their case. I wish that the FBI had recorded
their interviews with Ms. Salman as there were several significant
inconsistencies with the written summaries of her statements. The bottom
line is that, based on the letter of the law, and the detailed
instructions provided by the court, we were presented with no option but
to return a verdict of not guilty.”

Day 2 Waiting for a Verdict in the Noor Salman Trial

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I arrived at the Orlando Federal Courthouse bright and early and decided to sketch the TV News cameras set up outside waiting for the verdict in the Noor Salman trial. It felt good to sketch outside after being cooped up in court for a solid month. The phalanx grew as I sketched and then a tripod was set up with all the microphones waiting for an announcement. A few reporters were curious about what I was doing and were pleased to see themselves in sketch form. I was hoping that the jury would be deliberating for a few more hours so that I had plenty of time to sketch. With the sketch complete I decided to get inside to continue waiting. Shoes and belt came off as I went through the security metal detectors. I usually don’t redress since there is a second security check at the courtroom entrance, but I was heading up to the media room today to wait.

The media room has a refrigerator, microwave and a sink, so it is quite civilized. Several reporters had ordered bagels. The channel 9 reporter across from me Ken Tyndall showed me a sketch that had been done of him by a Saint Augustine artist. It depicted him as a bad ass pirate. On top of that I knew the hand of the artist. It was done by Orlando artist KC Cali. I told him the artists name, but it didn’t seem to register.

A female reporter with immense eyelashes and plenty of mascara sat next to me. Her laptop was covered with stickers. One said something about Jihad. I was the outsider in the room, so I assumed she had been coming to this media room throughout the trial. This sketch was pretty far along, so I couldn’t place her in the scene. Her head would have been about where the bagel is and that is the center of interest. Ken Tyndall shot a cell phone photo of her and the laptop and sent it to other reporters in the courthouse.

The previous evening I had received a e-mail from the court saying that a member of the media had been banned from the courthouse for harassing members of Noor Salman’s family as they walked to their cars. As she said, “When I confronted her family outside the courthouse and asked
them if “Jihad” is an act of terrorism, they REFUSED to answer!”To me these actions read as bigotry masked as journalism. The media were reminded that interviews must be conducted in specific designated locations. It turned out that this was the blogger who had been evicted from court and she returned anyway the next day. The photo tipped off security and soon a US Marshall entered the media room and asked the woman seated next to me to “Come with me.”

She was escorted downstairs and back outside the courtroom. A second hand report claims that she wanted to shoot cell phone footage as she was being escorted out but the US Marshall took her phone until she was back outside. The same Marshall had confiscated a sketch I started of the courthouse lobby. My sketch showed the entry security system so I fully understood his concerns and gave him the unfinished sketches after I signed it. The female blogger stood outside the courthouse all afternoon shooting cell phone footage she posed online demanding her first amendment rights had been violated. I have to agree with the judges ruling that these rights do not include harassing family of the person on trial. She claimed that the media looked down on her by referring to her as a blogger. Personally I am proud to be a blogger. It allows me to freedom to report on this trial visually in a way that no other media outlet can match. The tight court rules were restrictive, but I worked within those restrictions to report during the entire length of the trial.

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

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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.

The last 3 Prosecution Witnesses.

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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.

What evidence should the jury see in the Noor Salman trial?

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After the jury was selected, lawyers and the judge held a closed session in which they tried to tie up some loose ends about what evidence should be presented in court on the opening day of the trial with the jury. In contention were graphic audio and video recordings. The defense wants to limit the amount of violent content which might re-traumatize families of victims, as well as survivors, who come to the trial. There is so much police body cam footage that it all can’t be seen. The defense felt that all this evidence is against Omar Mateen, the gunman, and that it has little to do with Noor Salman.

This jury trial is going to great lengths to protect the identities of jurors and witnesses. One witness, nicknamed Nemo, will never have his real name associated with his friend Omar Mateen. Nemo was apparently used as an excuse when Omar wanted to cheat on his wife. Motion 287 was raised by the defense and it precluded the prosecutors from making certain allegations in their opening statements. If a founding statement cannot be proven throughout the trial it should not go in the opening statements. Judge Paul G. Byron however denied this limitation. He feels that the jurors should be able to decide for themselves if the statements are proven. Any opening statement is not to be considered as evidence.

Points of contention were:

  • Making the statement that Omar Mateen was targeting a gay club.
  • The notion that Omar Mateen visited the Pulse website on June 10, 2016. The IP addresses were not found or verified. He logged out of Google on June 10, 2016 at about the same time as Noor claimed that he showed her the Pulse website. He may have switched to Chrome incognito which hides suspicious web activity.
  • Mateen’s purchase of ammunition at Walmart Supercenter while with Noor.
  • The fact that Noor was put on the bank accounts just prior to the attack.
  •  In the final days, Mateen’s expenses far outweighed his income.
  • A cellphone call by Angel Colon wounded in the bathroom of Pulse was not allowed. “They are shooting up the place.” Angel shouted. The call was thrown out because it would already be clearly established that there were hostages in the bathroom.

Two 911 calls from victims inside the Pulse Nightclub
bathroom were discussed. The defense argued that those calls were hearsay and should not be heard by the jury. 64 individual pieces of
evidence are to be admitted into evidence. There will be testimony from 6
responding officers and witnesses from all aspects of that evening’s response to the
attack at the club.

A phone conversation with Omar Mateen
stated that he will not harm African Americans although he had already
shot and killed African Americans on the dance floor. The fact that
Pulse is a home and and safe place for the LGBTQ community was
not considered to be the crux of the case by Judge Paul G. Byron.  A 27 second long call with
Mateen in which he mentioned a fake suicide vest and explosives was
allowed into evidence. All police traffic, car cams, and body cam
footage already submitted was allowed to be shown in court. All Walmart Super Center receipts that showed joint spending on such things as Ammo and house hold items was allowed.

Jury Selected for Noor Salman Trial

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Judge Paul G. Byron interviewed one juror who was a motion graphics artist that works for the local news stations. He created a 3D model of Pulse and extensive motion graphics for the TV News coverage following the Pulse Nightclub massacre. This juror was excused for cause. In our media overflow courtroom, the reporters watched closely as the prospective juror left courtroom 4B. He was recognized as having worked for Channel 9 News. The great thing about sketching the trial from the media overflow courtroom is that I get to hear the opinions from News station legal analysts. In the end, however, the only opinions that matter are the opinions of the 12 jurors.

After a solid week of interviewing jurors and narrowing down the jury pool to 56 prospective jurors, the final process of picking the final individual was rather fast, taking less that 40 minutes. This process was referred to as Striking the Jury. The defense lawyers could strike 2 jurors off the list for every 1 juror the prosecutors struck form the list. Each lawyer used a different color marker to strike names from the list. No one in the media will ever know the names of anyone on the jury. Come Wednesday when the case begins, we will finally learn how many jurors are female and how many are male. I would think that the defense would want female jurors since they might sympathize with any reports that Omar Mateen mistreated Noor Salman, his wife. Up until today, I have avoided mentioning the gunman’s name in any of my posts about the horrific Pulse Nightclub mass shooting. With the case in full swing, I think I will have to mention his name often.

Would you have been selected for the Noor Salman Jury?

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Any media inquiries to purchase courtroom sketches should call or
text (407) four five zero-0807. I am out of touch while in the
courthouse. I will get back in touch ASAP.

Today a jury will hear opening arguments in the Noor Salman trial in Orlando, Florida. Noor Salman is accused of aiding and abetting her husband Omar Mateen as he planned the horrific attack on the Pulse Nightclub in Orlando that left 49 people dead. Each prospective juror filed out a questionnaire which narrowed down the pool to start. I heard there were 600 questionnaires sent out. Each prospective juror was assigned a number and asked to come in individually for follow-up questions. Judge Paul G. Byron‘s first question was whether the person had served on a jury before, and more importantly had they been the foreman on that jury. The biggest concern is that someone might want to get on the jury and their mind is already made up prior to hearing any evidence of testimony. The roll of a juror is to keep an open mind and listen to both sides of every argument in court.

Next, Judge Byron wanted to get a feeling as to what media coverage each juror had been exposed to. Everyone in Orlando experienced the initial coverage just following the Pulse Nightclub massacre on June 12, 2016, but some people immediately return to life as usual. He specifically searched for what news coverage prospective jurors heard about Noor Salman herself. his primary concern is that each prospective juror be able to set aside the media coverage they had seen and only consider the evidence and testimony given in court.

The next line of questions had to do with religion. Do you have friends who are Muslim? What do you know about Islam? Would you assume Noor Salman is guilty just because she is Muslim? She was born in the United States and is a citizen. Do you feel the prosecution might have the same bias as the president? Everyone was effected by the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers on 9-11 in some way. Would you be able to set your feelings aside about that attack and judge the case based solely on facts presented in court? Have you been a victim of terrorism here or overseas? Do you know anyone who is directly effected by the 17 student and teacher murders at Parkland High School in south Florida?

Noor Salman is charged with an indictment. An indictment is not evidence, it is just a document that states what she is accused of. The indictment cannot be considered as proof of what Noor did, it is not evidence. Would you as a juror feel pressure from the community to find her guilty even if the evidence did not prove her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt? We are all presumed innocent in a court of law. We each walk in with a clean slate and it is the job of the prosecution to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. We all have the right to remain silent. Mrs. Salman does not have to testify in this case. If she elects not to testify can you not hold that against her?

He asked about each prospective juror’s deliberation process. Are you quick to form an opinion or do you need to weigh all the evidence before forming an opinion. Are you reluctant to change your mind once it is made up? Do you have negative feelings about people who use gun ranges for recreation? I most certainly wouldn’t make it on the jury partly because of my intense involvement in trying to understand how Orlando had tried to heal since the horrific shooting, and because I can’t stop myself from sketching. I am literally not allowed to enter courtroom 4B with a sketchbook. I would have my press privileges revoked and would be escorted form the building. A pencil is a dangerous weapon.

The case begins today at 9 AM at the Federal Courthouse (401 W Central Blvd Orlando Florida). The case begins exactly one month after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer has called for a walkout in honor of that mass shooting. Students across the country are organizing similar walkouts. In an e-mail, he wrote, “Our community has been so inspired by the students at Stoneman Douglas,
students here in Orlando and across the country that have pressed
lawmakers to approve school safety and pass measures aimed at preventing
gun violence. In solidarity with our students, and to honor the victims, join us for a
walkout to the lawn of the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing
Arts (445 S. Magnolia Ave. Orlando, Florida.)” It seems that the mass shootings are happening closer and closer together. There have been 10 school shootings since 17 students were murdered in Parkland. The town officials are just now considering collecting memorabilia from the memorial site after religious leaders hold a ceremony on the evening of the one month mark. 

Jury Selection for the Noor Salman Trial

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 Any media inquiries to purchase courtroom sketches should call or
text (407) four five zero-0807. I am out of touch while in the
courthouse. I will get back in touch ASAP.

Jury selection began on Thursday, March 8th for the Noor Salman trial with 42 prospective jurors in the pool to start, the goal was to reach 56 jurors before starting the process of cutting that number down to 12 jurors with 6 alternates. The media overflow courtroom 3A is similar to courtroom 4B. It is just inverted with the jury box being on the opposite side of the room. It is not possible to sketch jurors, so I just sketched the reporters who sat in the jury box and at the lawyers’ tables.

Juror 212 is an advocate for LGBT Rights and she felt she could not be impartial because of that. She was excused for cause. Juror 274 has a husband who is a contractor in Kuwait and Iraq. Because of things he told her, she feels that Middle Eastern women do not have equal rights. They have to wear birquas and not make eye contact. The judge assured her that Noor is a United States citizen born in America and asked if she could be impartial in this case. She said she could keep an open mind.

Juror 270 had a medical issue. She is recovering from Cancer which is now in remission. Though in recovery, she was excused for cause. Juror 277 was a student looking to go to law school. Judge Paul G. Byron congratulated him and wished him well with his choice of college. He answered all the questions with enthusiasm and remained in the pool. Juror 275 had a father who works for the Winter Park Police. He had read many news accounts about the Pulse Nightclub Massacre and felt he could not remain impartial. He was excused for cause. Juror 282 was recently divorced and concerned about having time for custody of his 14 year old daughter. He had read a lot about the shooting on multiple online news sites. He was excused for cause. Juror 278 was a caregiver for her mother. She said that Noor must have known something about what her husband was about to do when he left to kill 49 people. She was excused for cause. With so many people with dead set opinions and biases, it is amazing that any local residents get past the questioning and into the jury pool.

On the walls of the courtrooms were oil paintings of past judges. One was of Patricia Combi Fawsett by local painter Don Sontag, the other portrait was of G. Kendall Sharp. Historic decisions are made inside these walls and the traditional oil portraits are a reminder of the long traditions that are upheld. Reporters come and go, usually filing out mid-afternoon to get their report on the air. I have settled into the daily routine at court and know that I am meant to be here to document this moment in Orlando history. On Wednesday, March 14th the trial officially begins with a full jury.

Lisa Moreno Cross-examines a Prospective Juror

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Any media inquiries to purchase courtroom sketches should call or
text (407) four five zero-0807. I am out of touch while in the
courthouse. I will get back in touch ASAP.

Jury selection continues for the Noor Salman trial. Noor is the widow of the Pulse Nightclub massacre gunman. She is accused of aiding and abetting her husband and misleading FBI agents in the days after the shooting. Judge Paul G. Byron conducts most of the questioning of prospective jurors but sometimes the lawyers have questions of their own after the judge has finished.

Juror 269 was on a murder case 20 years ago so she was familiar with the process of being selected for a jury. She has just started a new job and would not be paid for jury duty so she was excused for cause. Juror 262 has a son who worked as a DJ at a club near Pulse. She was extremely concerned about his welfare on the evening of the attack. Juror 266 worked at the hospital near Pulse on the evening of the carnage. She was called in to the trauma unit at 6 AM that morning when all the chaos was in full swing. She treated survivors as they fought for their lives in the months to come. She was excused for cause.

Juror 256 was a psychologist who has been called as an expert witness in other court cases. There would be a psychologist called as a witness in the Salman case and although the prospective juror said he could fairly judge and weigh his opinion when the testimony is given, he was excused for cause. The last juror for the morning, 267 said that he has attention deficit disorder. He works in the tech industry which requires concentration, but if things get slow at work he will get lost in his phone. As he said, “We all are guilty of a bit of Candy Crush.” The judge laughed and when the prospective juror left he was excused for cause. Reporters in the overflow news room who had never played the game, asked for some explanation.