Pair charged in alleged mass murder plot to return to Halifax court

HALIFAX — Two young people accused of plotting to open fire on shoppers in a Halifax mall are expected to return to court today.

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.

Police allege the pair had planned to commit mass murder 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.