Mass Shooting Plotter Not Violent, Geneva Mom Says

GENEVA, IL — A Geneva woman who was recently sentenced to life in prison for plotting a mass shooting at a mall in Canada with a man she met online would not have been capable of carrying through with such a violent act, family members of Lindsay Souvannarath wrote in court documents, which were taking into consideration during her sentencing. Phyllis Souvannarath, Lindsay's mom, and her grandmother believe that prejudice that Lindsay experienced growing up as a biracial child in Geneva played a big part in negative aspects of her development, according to a Daily Herald article. Lindsay's mother is white and her father is Asian.

"Stupidly, when she was 7 years old, we moved to a suburb that is not very diverse or tolerant. Her appearance, coupled with her unique personality, made her a target for bullying and exclusion," Phyllis Souvannarath wrote in court letters obtained by the Daily Herald.

Lindsay Souvannarath was sentenced last week to life in prison for her role in planning the mass shooting, which was supposed to happen on Valentine's Day 2015. Lindsay Souvannarath was convicted on charges of conspiracy to commit murder for the plot, which she planned with a Canadian man. The duo exchanged 1,200 Facebook messages as they conspired to ultimately go to the mall's food court, throw fire bombs and then shoot people with a rifle and shotgun before they killed themselves, according to an earlier article on the Daily Herald.

Souvannarath could be eligible for parole in 10 years.

Souvannarath was arrested at the Halifax airport back in February 2015 as was co-conspirator, Randall Steven Shepherd, who was waiting at the airport for Souvannarath to arrive, the Chicago Tribune reports. The duo along with the man Souvannarath originally met online, James Gamble, were planning to open fire two days later on the Halifax Shopping Centre.

Gamble, who Souvannarath would chat with online regarding both their interests in mass murders and her interest in Nazism, fatally shot himself when police went to arrest him after they received a CrimeStoppers tip on Feb. 13 regarding the trio's mass shooting plans, the Daily Herald reports. Gamble was friends with Shepherd and both were obsessed with death and morbidity.

The group had planned to open fire on the Halifax Shopping Center and, according to a statement of facts, picked the location because they thought it would cause the most amount of panic, the Daily Mail reports.
Gamble told Souvannarath during their online chats that Shepherd, his only friend, was not overly eager to participate in a mass murder and asked if she would join in, according to the Daily Mail. She agreed and they discussed details such as the time, place, what weapons to use and whether they should "taunt" the victims.

Shepherd has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the plot, the Daily Herald reports.

A reporter inside the Halifax, Nova Scotia courtroom on April 20 provided updates via Twitter during the sentencing hearing. The judge, according to CBC's Kayla Hounsell, was satisfied that if police did not act, the "plot would have happened." She also reported that though Souvannarath has taken responsibility for her actions she has not shown remorse for the plot. She has shown remorse over Gamble dying.

The reporter also noted, via Twitter, that the judge said the timing of Souvannarath's guilty plea could not be "ignored." She was charged in February 2015 and pleaded guilty in April 2017 — and that plea came after she learned her social media conversations with Gamble would be allowed as evidence.

In court documents obtained by the Daily Herald, Phyllis Souvannarath pained a much different picture of Lindsay's character. She said that she knew Lindsay did write in a dark context but she viewed that more as an outlet than a warning sign pg a potentially violent side. The court documents also revealed that police believed "it was apparent that (her parents) were oblivious to what Lindsay did online and in her personal life. They especially did not suspect that she wished to take her own life and/or harm others."

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Photo caption: Halifax Shopping Centre Photo credit: GoogleMaps