New details in U.S. woman’s appeal of sentence in Valentine’s Day plot

Documents filed this week with the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal lay out four grounds for appeal, including that the sentence was excessive for a youthful offender with no record and that it reflected the range for terrorism offences rather than conspiracy to commit murder.

Court documents also claim it was unjust to expect the accused to prove she was remorseful and renounce her anti-social beliefs, and that the sentence was dramatically longer than that imposed on an accomplice.

Her main co-conspirator was found dead in his home on the eve of the planned attack, while a third accomplice, the so-called cheerleader of the plot, was sentenced to a decade in jail.

The plot — dubbed “Der Untergang” or The Downfall — was concocted after Souvannarath developed an online relationship with Halifax teen James Gamble.

They began an online relationship, sharing a fascination with mass shootings and exchanging explicit intimate photographs, according to court documents.

Then they began plotting an attack, talking about weapons, ammunition and maximizing the number of dead and wounded.

The pair discussed whether they would taunt the victims before killing them, and what body count they would be happy with. They planned to carry knives with them, and stab people when they ran out of bullets.

They agreed to post a video of the slayings online to solidify their fame amongst the world’s mass-murderers, the court documents say.

Souvannarath flew to Halifax on a one-way ticket.

The plot was averted when police received an anonymous tip. Gamble killed himself as police tried to arrest him, while Randall Shepherd and Souvannarath were arrested at Halifax’s airport on Feb. 13, 2015.

“The three fancied themselves to be mass shooters and were inspired by the shootings at Columbine High School,” the appeal documents filed this week said. “All three appear to have lived isolated lives with few friends, and spent most of their time on the internet.”

Souvannarath’s parents have said she was bullied in school, rejected by her peers and struggled with being biracial.

During sentencing, Justice Peter Rosinski said Souvannarath continued to pose a threat to public safety.

He said she had not expressed remorse for her murderous plot, nor had she renounced her ideological motivations. He called her prospects for rehabilitation “very questionable.”

Rosinski recommended intensive psychological and psychiatric counselling and treatment.

Souvannarath’s appeal suggests the judge committed an error by imposing a burden on her to prove she was remorseful.

In court documents, her lawyer, Peter Planetta, called the sentence “crushing,” saying it risks snuffing out any chance of rehabilitation.

“It is well beyond the normal range of sentences in conspiracy to commit murder cases.”

Planetta also suggested the judge erred by comparing the offence to terrorism cases, saying “terrorism is about more then carnage and killings, it is an assault on democracy and our institutions, our way of life.”

Rachael Collins, a criminology professor at Saint Mary’s University in Halifax who teaches about mass murder, said Souvannarath could be at risk of recidivism unless she gets “massive counselling.”

She said most school shooters, such as the Columbine killers, will commit suicide or are sentenced to hundreds of years.

“We don’t have a lot of information about whether or not they will recidivate because they’re never getting out,” Collins said in an interview. “The question is what happens when somebody gets out?”

Brett Bundale, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

New details in U.S. woman’s appeal of sentence in Valentine’s Day plot

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