Pair charged in alleged mass murder plot get new court date in April

HALIFAX — The case of two people accused of plotting to open fire on shoppers in a Halifax mall will return to court on April 10 to set a date for a preliminary hearing.

Twenty-three-year-old Lindsay Kanittha Souvannarath of Geneva, Ill., and 20-year-old Randall Steven Shepherd of Halifax were charged last month with conspiracy to commit murder.

They also face charges of conspiracy to commit arson, illegal possession of weapons for a dangerous purpose and making a threat through social media.

The new date in the case was set Friday during a brief hearing in provincial court. Both of the accused were in court.

Outside court, Crown attorney Shauna MacDonald said her office is still receiving evidence from the police and she plans to disclose some of it to the defence on Monday.

Police allege the plot could have resulted in mass casualties at the Halifax Shopping Centre on Valentine’s Day.

Last week, Crown lawyer Shauna MacDonald said the conspiracy charge is based on the notion that some kind of agreement had been reached between the accused.

The Crown information alleges the offences took place between Jan. 6 and Valentine’s Day and were carried out in concert with James Lee Gamble, a 19-year-old man found dead in his Halifax home on Feb. 13.

None of the allegations have been proven in court.