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Souvannarath's lawyer doesn't seek bail on murder conspiracy charge

Lindsay Souvannarath of Geneva remains in a Canadian prison after her first court appearance Tuesday on charges she planned to kill people in a shooting at a Nova Scotia mall on Valentine's Day.

Her lawyer did not request bail.

According to a charging information sheet presented in Provincial Court in Halifax, she is charged with conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit arson, possession of weapons for a purpose dangerous to the public peace or for committing a criminal offense, and unlawfully conveying through social media a threat to cause bodily harm or death to members of the public. The charging form accuses her two other men of doing this starting Jan. 6.

If convicted, Souvannarath could face a sentence of life in prison, according to crown prosecutor Shauna MacDonald.

Souvannarath, 23; Randall Shepherd, 20, of Halifax, Nova Scotia; and James Gamble, 19, of Timberlea, Nova Scotia, conspired to commit the crimes, according to police. Police believe Gamble shot and killed himself as they approached to arrest him last week and are still investigating the death. Souvannarath was arrested at Halifax Stanfield International Airport Friday.

Shepherd also appeared in court Tuesday.

They were represented by a duty-counsel lawyer from Nova Scotia Legal Aid. Such lawyers typically represent people in their initial court appearances if they don't have a private lawyer but do not provide continuing representation, according to the NSLA website.

Her next court date is March 6. She may apply for bail in the meantime, MacDonald said.

Souvannarath's past

Souvannarath, who is of Laotian descent, attended Geneva High School. While there, she participated for several years in the RPG Club, a group devoted to role-playing games.

Fellow club member Sabrina Szigeti said she was known for her interest in Nazis and crime.

"She was really into writing and really into making art of Nazis," Szigeti said, pointing out a pencil drawing Souvannarath did that was published in the Geneva High School yearbook in 2009. She said Souvannarath said her interest was scholarly, but she would play a Nazi ghost during the games. It was not a normal character, Szigeti said; others usually portrayed elves, dwarves, even a gentle giant. But Souvannarath would argue until they gave in.

Szigeti also said Souvannarath became upset when her German-language teacher refused to let her write an essay about a Norwegian black-metal musician who had murdered someone. Souvannarath said the musician was "cute," Szigeti said. The musician, now out of prison, espouses beliefs in white nationalism.

Souvannarath asked Szigeti to critique some of her writing, her art and her YouTube videos. Szigeti said they were "really dark and violent."

Writing and RPG club members kept her at arm's length due to her interests and "tuned out" her talk about Nazis.

"We really don't want RPG or gaming club to be judged negatively by one person who used it as an outlet for her crazy eccentrics," Szigeti said.

According to reports in the Chronicle Herald newspaper in Halifax and elsewhere, Souvannarath and the men met in an online forum.

According to Facebook and Tumblr pages believed to belong to Souvannarath, she has maintained pro-fascism and Nazi views. A Coe College professor told an Iowa newspaper she was a talented writer, but he found some of her work disturbing in its fascination on the macabre.

Kevin Vekony, another RPG Club member, said Souvannarath was in the club for three years.

"She was an overall shy and reserved person but could actually be nice, funny and intelligent once you got to know her. Unfortunately, that masked a very dark interior," he wrote in a Facebook Messenger interview.

He said her interest in Nazis was "blatant." He lost touch with her but a few months ago noticed she had posted video-game videos on YouTube. Vekony said they were "nothing I wouldn't have seen from someone else."

"I was shocked to hear that my former school acquaintance was the one involved in this incident, but looking back, it is not entirely surprising considering her interests and beliefs," he said.

Souvannarath is a 2014 graduate of Coe College.

Geneva High School authorities declined to say anything about her, other than she attended the school until 2010.

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Murder plot suspect had no contact with Geneva police

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Police: Geneva woman met conspirators in online forums

  Lindsay Souvannarath grew up in this house on Husking Peg Lane in Geneva. Local police searched it Friday on behalf of Canadian authorities. Souvannarath, 23, is accused of conspiracy to commit murder in Halifax, Nova Scotia. She appeared in court Tuesday. Susan Sarkauskas/ssarkauskas@dailyherald.com
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