A North Carolina teenage girl has been charged with murder over her alleged role in the deadly mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego earlier this year.
A grand jury indicted Sarah Santiago on three counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill said Monday.
Three people were killed when Cain Clark, 17, and Caleb Vazquez, 18, attacked the mosque on May 18 before dying by suicide, according to authorities.
Prosecutors allege Santiago agreed before the attack to record its livestream, distribute the footage and publish writings intended to justify the shooting.
She is also accused of sending Vazquez a Sonnenrad patch, a symbol associated with neo-Nazism and white supremacy, which he allegedly wore during the attack.
“The law in North Carolina is clear: a person may be guilty of a crime, although he or she personally does not do any of the acts necessary to constitute the crime,” O’Neill said.
Santiago’s lawyer, Alan Doorasamy, told CNN that she denies the allegations.
“At this time I can confirm that my client is innocent of all these charges,” Doorasamy said.
Authorities said the shooters exchanged extremist ideology and had allegedly planned further attacks after targeting the mosque.
