Widow of Pulse nightclub gunman who killed 49 found not guilty

(WESH/NBC News/AP)- A jury has acquitted Noor Salman of all charges related to her alleged involvement in the Pulse nightclub massacre.

Salman was charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization, and faced life in prison if convicted.

Prosecutors alleged she helped her husband, Omar Mateen, prepare for his attack on the Pulse nightclub on June 12, 2016. Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 58 more inside the club before he was killed by police.

Defense attorneys described Salman as a simple woman with a low IQ who was abused by her husband, and who didn’t know of his plans because he concealed much of his life from her.

The hands of the widow of the gunman who killed 49 people at a gay Orlando nightclub were shaking in the moments before a jury acquitted her of all charges.

WKMG TV reported that Noor Salman’s family gasped Friday when a court official said aloud that she had been found not guilty of lying to the FBI and helping her husband plan the attack. She had faced life in prison if convicted.

After the verdicts were read, Salman began sobbing with joy and her family held each other. On the other side of the courtroom, the families of the victims of the Pulse shooting sat stone-faced and silent.

Outside the courthouse, Salman’s family said they were eager for her to be able to see her young son again. She has been in jail for the past two years awaiting trial.

Salman was also charged with obstruction of justice, lying to investigators about her alleged role, in the massacre.

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