Opening arguments are expected Wednesday in the trial of Noor Salman, the 31-year-old widow of the man who shot and killed 49 people at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in June of 2016.
Prosecutors are trying to prove that Salman knew about Omar Mateen's deadly plot and helped him.
“We don’t have to prove that she took the same steps as Mateen. We don’t have to prove that she’s an extremist,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney James Mandolfo, adding that prosecutors would prove that Salman knowingly delayed the investigation into the nightclub shooting. “That is referred to as obstruction of justice.”
But, “even after the attack… the defendant continued to make false statements to law enforcement,” Mandolfo said.
If convicted, she could get life in prison.
Salman is the only person charged in the attack. Mateen was killed in a shootout with police.
The defense is expected to say that Mateen abused her and that she was so terrified of him that she feared for her life.