Noor Salman’s Defense Opening Statements

Posted on by Thor

Lisa Moreno opened for the defense. (Statements as given by prosecution, may or may not be actual fact as revealed by the court hearing and jury deliberation.) Moreno began by talking about Noor Salman as a mother. She spoke of Mateen’s habitual cheating on his wife, about how he dated other women, usually older. He used his childhood friend Nemo as an alibi for these affairs. Salman was described as a loving mother, taking care of her son. She was so caring that her entire home was child-proofed. Noor was born a Californian Muslim but was not really religious. She was a special needs student, though she managed to get an an associates degree. For a while she served as a kindergarten aide and later worked at Kmart. She only scored 84% on her IQ test, which places her with the bottom 20% of the population.

She claims no support for, or knowledge of ISIS. All of her internet searches were just shopping or to read romance novels. She is described by those who know her as, “Simple, sweet, and trusting.” She and Mateen met online, only had a few month relationship and after marriage she was isolated from her family, he controlled all of their finances. She only ever met his family and did things with them, never his friends. Moreno described Mateen as a misogynist, cheater, loser, and a wanna-be-cop.

Mateen claimed he was friends with the brothers from the Boston Marathon bombing, that he experimented with bombs, and that he killed a Jewish drug dealer, though the defense says that all of these claims were outright lies. The FBI interviewed him three different times, he admitted to making disturbing remarks in 2014 but nothing was done. He had sworn allegiance to two opposing Islamic groups. Moreno repeatedly referred to Salman’s husband as a monster.

The reason Noor learned to drive and got her license is because she had recently enrolled her son in preschool. When they went to the Walmart in Vero Beach, they split up, Mateen going to sporting goods, and Salman going to get other things. On June 2, Mateen received a letter from the FDLE and the Criminal Service Standards Office letting him know he could be part of a training program to become a police officer. So, that is why he was okay with spending so much money. The bank warned Mateen not to put Salman on the account because it could become susceptible to her student debt, so instead he named her as the beneficiary. As far as Salman knew all the trips to different locations were were family trips, not “casing” or “scouting” trips.

June 11, 2018 was a normal day for Salman. Mateen went to work, came home, and at 3 PM they took their son to McDonald’s. Her husband then purchased the three tickets to California to see her mother and uncles.  

Nemo, Mateen’s childhood friend, called the FBI to testify when he learned of the attack. Saying Mateen was always cheating with older women he met through online services like Plenty of Fish and Arab Lounge. After Mateen left for Pulse, Salman called her uncle and her friend in California to let them know of her future visit back home.  She went to Walmart to get a father’s gift and toys for her child, then she ordered Applebees to go because she thought her sister-in-law might stop over to pick up a toy.

After leaving House of Blues, Mateen googled downtown nightclubs and pulled directions up for Eve Nightclub and drove there but then looked up Pulse and went there instead. At 2:30 AM Salman texted Mateen, “Where are you?” and tried to call. At 4:00 AM she was woken up by Mateen’s mother saying that he said he would stop by after prayer but then he never came.

Salman texts Mateen:

  • “Where are you?”
  • Mateen, “Everything OK?”
  • “Your mother is worried and so am I.” Reminds him he has to work in the morning.
  • Mateen, “You heard what happened?”
  • “What happened?”
  • Mateen, “I love you babe.”
  • “Habibi, what happened? Your mom said you were to come over but you never did.”
  • Salman calls Mateen.

At that point the Fort Pierce police (Lieutenant William Hall) call her out of her apartment so she didn’t get a chance to look up what had happened. Moreno claims the police coerce her and take unrecorded statements. From 4:30 am until midnight they questions her, she never asks for a lawyer and even consents to a home search and a polygraph test. An expert will confirm that she scores 98% in being highly susceptible to coercion. The police utilized the Reed method of interrogation and coercion. FBI told her that if she lied that she would go to jail and never get to see her son again.

The defense claims that all of the statements initialed by Salman are provably false – that the GPS tracking in evidence never took them casing around Pulse before June 12, 2016. Mateen had not showed her Pulse online or at the site and told her it was his target. Forensics don’t show that. The defense cushioned each statement with, “They got her to say….” The polygrapher wrote three statements in his own hand that she read, agreed to, and initialed. When they let her go, she went to Mississippi, eventually making her way to California, reporting every day to the FBI so they knew where she was and what she was doing. On June 20, 2016 she thanked the FBI for all they had done for her. 7 months later she was indicted and arrested.

Lisa Moreno and Noor Salman.

Posted on by Thor

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.

I did this sketch first thing in the morning as another day of jury selection got under way. I wanted to sketch Noor Salman, the widow of the Pulse Nightclub shooter, before the monotony of the process set in for another day. I heard from a reporter that Noor gave Lisa a fist bump at one point. I didn’t witness this gesture, but the next day the monitor showing Noor had been redirected to point at the empty witness stand. I have to assume that her defense attorney didn’t want the media watching Noor’s every move. The fact that I can no longer sketch Noor makes it all the more important that I get in the courtroom before the trial is in full swing so that I can at least draw her as she leans over and talks to her lawyers.

Lisa Moreno is soft spoken and unaware that there are microphones she could be using. The microphones are usually pointing away from her. I admire her based on her accomplishments, however, I remember reading that she was an attorney with successful experiences in two high profile war-on-terror related cases, those of Professor Sami Al-Arian and Ghassan Elashi, who was a Guantanamo Bay defense lawyer with security clearance. Professor Sami Al-Arain was under house arrest limbo for five years. All the charges were dropped.

Lisa has been the only defense lawyer so far to sit in on the jury selection process. On multiple occasions she has questioned potential jurors and had then released with cause since their knowledge of the case or bias against Muslims might lead them to not be able to rule fairly in the 3 week case. The trial itself might start as early as Wednesday of next week.

I found out today that I cannot get into the main courtroom. The local media, without even trying to negotiate, gave the seat that I was originally promised to a birthday party caricature artist that low-balled the quote on the assignment. The primary concern for the local media seems to be cost rather than quality. Cartoons unfortunately feel quite inappropriate for a case of this magnitude. I feel a civic responsibility to cover this trial with the respect it deserves. I will continue to cover the trial but my sketches will be more about the media circus that will be unfolding in the downstairs courtroom 3A rather in the main courtroom 4B. I am disappointed but will make the best of the media drama and obscurity that continues to unfold.

Judge Paul G. Byron presides over the Noor Slaman Jury seletion.

Posted on by Thor

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.

On day two of the Noor Salman Trial, Judge Paul G. Byron asked a each  juror a series of questions to see if they could be an impartial juror on the case. He explained that the trail might take 3 weeks starting as early as March 12th after jury selection s complete. The case should have a verdict by the first week of April. He also let each juror know that they would have Fridays and weekends off to catch up on any personal choirs and responsibilities.

One prospective juror was a doctor who handles victims injuries after the attack that killed 49 people and injured over 60 others. Even though he was. Intimately involved with the Pulse tragedy he was considered fit to remain impartial. One prospective jurors didn’t approve of the Muslim faith. After further questioning he refined his statement saying he didn’t like radicalized Muslims. Lisa Moreno, Noor’s attorney tried to have the juror removed from the pool, but judge Byron overruled here.

Although the 600 or so prospective jurors who filled out the questionnaire were told not to discuss the case with anyone before coming in for jury duty, One juror admitted that he had discussed the case with co-workers. That discussion lead him to be biased towards guild. Someone had to be found guilty for the horrific act of June 12, 2016 at the Pulse Nightclub. A young man described being pulled over by police when he was a youth. He believed those police to be corrupt. Another prospective juror has a friend who died in the club that night. I was amazed that he was moved forward into the pool of potential jurors.

Day 2 of the Noor Salman trial.

Posted on by Thor

Courtroom sketches are available to purchase for use by the media. No phones allowed in court. Text or call (407) four five zero – 0807. I will get in touch ASAP after court lets out. 

I woke up bright and early at 6 AM for day 2 of the Noor Slaman Trial. Walking towards the courthouse at 7 AM the rainbow band shell was illuminated a warm orange from the rising sun. I met a reporter from CNN at the front entrance since the courthouse wasn’t open yet. The reporter joked that folks in the courthouse thought he was best friends with Wolf Blitzer. He talked about the media circus for the O.J. Simpson trail and the Boston bombing trial. He seems to feel that this trial will not generate as much interest from national media. Since Noor is the wife of the Pulse Nightclub attacker who was shot and killed, that makes her a secondary character in their eyes. However, being from Orlando myself, this trial is very important.

On day 2 I had my press badge ready and figured I would sketch in courtroom 4B where Judge Paul G. Byron was presiding over jury selection. There are 12 seats reserved for media in that courtroom and one of those seats is reserved for a courtroom artist. I was slated to take that seat but at the last minute, I was replaced by a caricature artist who low balled the price on his sketches. I learned from the CNN guy that on day one the courtroom was fairly empty. There was plenty of seating besides the 12 press seats. I could probably just sit in as a member of the public. If the place got full, I would gladly step out to the press room.

There was a tech issue at the front entry, so getting into the courthouse would take some time. Since I was the second in line, I wasn’t too concerned. Taking off all metal was becoming routine. Right beyond the entry  there was a line of ladies at a table that seemed to be in charge of handing out temporary passes. I asked if I needed to stop there, and I was fine with the pass I already had. I decided however to ask about sketching in the main courtroom. I was told that there was only 1 seat reserved for an artist. I asked if I could just enter as a member of the public. She told me that if I entered the room with art supplies, I would have my press badge revoked and would be evicted from the court house. I don’t get this Machiavellian idea that only one artist can observe a trail. Her in Orlando, there can only be one cowboy at the rodeo. I have seen court cases where close to a dozen Courtroom Sketch Artists sat in a row sketching trials in the past. Oh well. I seem to be the only citizen in Orlando who is not permitted to observe the case from  inside the courtroom because I carry a pencil and paper. I feel a civic responsibility to document this moment in Orlando’s History.

I would have to observe the trail from the media overflow room for a second day. There was a solid hour and a half before the doors opened. I decided I would sketch the entrance to the court house since it would illustrate this article well as a secondary sketch. I was finished with the pencil composition and starting to ink in the sketch when a security guard stopped me. I was told I shouldn’t sketch outside any of the courtrooms. I apologized and put it away. At the security for the press overflow room I was asked to rip the sketch out of my book. I jokingly signed it for him. He had to run it up the chain of command. Later a US Marshall approached me and said the sketch would have to be confiscated. The problem was that I showed the security at the entrance. If someone wanted to, they could use that sketch to possibly find a weakness in the buildings security. I hadn’t though of that as I was happily sketching away. I hope they frame the sketch and keep it. It might be worth something someday. I took all this in good humor. The guard joked with me, “Haven’t you ever heard of ‘don’t treat it like a Federal Case?’ This is where that phrase come from.” I laughed.

I was the first person in the press room. The projection screen showed 3 views of the courtroom. One view was new. It was of the defense table. I was excited. When Noor Salman entered she would sit in the center seat. I immediately started sketching the rough layout of the furniture in pencil so I would be ready when she entered. She entered wearing a black jump suit and she smiled as she talked with her attorney Lisa Moreno. I  mentioned her outfit since it was the first thing that the reporters talked about when they entered the room I was excitedly sketching in. I sketched Noor quickly as she talked animatedly to Lisa. Sketching allows me to crawl inside her head. For the first time she came alive for me. From my comfy jury box seat, I could watch Noor’s every expression. Come Monday, I will continue to focus my attention strictly on her. She tends to spend a lot of time with her head down seeming to draw or take notes.