Pulse Nightclub Shooting: Shooter's Widow Found Not Guilty

ORLANDO, FL -- Noor Salman, the widow of the Pulse nightclub shooter accused of helping her husband plan the attack, has been found not guilty of all charges, media outlets reported. Salman had been charged with aiding and abetting shooter Omar Mateen and obstructing justice.

Prosecutors said Salman, 31, provided material support to a foreign terrorist organization, the Islamic State group. Authorities said she also lied to the FBI after the June 2016 mass slaying, which left 49 people dead.

Closing arguments in the case were heard on Wednesday. The 12-member jury deliberated for about 12 hours over three days and the verdict was announced around 10:30 a.m. Friday.

The Orlando Sentinel reported jurors were allowed to review evidence including statements that an FBI polygraph examiner wrote while he talked to Salman. Other evidence they were allowed to review included nightclub video, financial documents for the couple and a mental health assessment of Salman following her arrest.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sara Sweeney said the case was about what Salman knew and what she did, CNN reported.

"The defendant didn't pull the trigger that night, but she did serve as a green light for her husband," Sweeney said.

Prosecutors said she helped Mateen plan the attack, even accompanying him to scout out possible targets and buy guns and ammunition.

But Salman's attorneys said she was victimized by Mateen's infidelity and lies, CNN reported.

"She doesn't go to the mosque, she searches for Hello Kitty on her website," defense attorney Charles Swift said during closing arguments. "We're supposed to believe she had long conversations with Omar Mateen about jihads?"

The defense said Mateen wouldn't have involved his wife in the planning because he didn't respect her, the Orlando Sentinel reported.

"Why would Omar Mateen confide in Noor, a woman he clearly had no respect for?" defense attorney Linda Moreno said during her closing arguments. "She was not his peer, she was not his partner, and she was not his confidant."

Salman did not testify. She could've faced a life sentence if convicted on the terrorism charge.

BREAKING: Noor Salman, widow of #PulseNightClub Shooter found NOT GUILTY of aiding and abetting her husband and NOT GUILTY of obstruction of justice.
— Bailey Myers (@BaileyMyers_) March 30, 2018

“I am in disbelief.”- Omar Delgado, #PulseNighClubShooting Victim speaks out following not guilty verdict of shooters wife, Salman @MyNews13
— Bailey Myers (@BaileyMyers_) March 30, 2018

Photo credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images