The 17-year-old girl charged over the deadly Islamic Center of San Diego massacre has been identified as North Carolina student Sarah Lindsey Santiago.
Santiago faces three counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, according to WBAL-TV.
Prosecutors allege she agreed before the attack to livestream the massacre, distribute the recording publicly and release the gunmen’s manifesto.
Santiago was allegedly one of three people who watched the livestream and later recorded and disseminated the footage and attackers’ writings, authorities said.
She was arrested last week and a grand jury indicted her on three counts of murder and one count of conspiracy, according to authorities.
The teen was one of three people who watched the gunmen’s livestream of the attack. She recorded the livestream, published the gunmen’s’ writings and disseminated both, according to Forsyth County District Attorney Jim O’Neill.
She had initially faced the possibility of spending only several years in the juvenile justice system because she was 17 when the shooting occurred.
But prosecutors said concerns grew as they considered the seriousness of the allegations and the possibility that she could soon return to school.
“We didn’t know what she was capable of,” O’Neill said during a press conference. “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 to constitute the crime.”
Three men were killed in the May 18 attack at the mosque, which was carried out by 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez. Both teenagers were later found dead inside a vehicle near the mosque.
Prosecutors are pursuing the murder charges under an aiding-and-abetting theory, arguing a person does not have to physically pull the trigger to be held responsible for a killing if they knowingly helped facilitate the crime.
Investigators allege Santiago was involved with the online dissemination of material connected to the attack, including the gunmen’s manifesto and information related to a livestream of the shooting.
Authorities said the attackers intended to “kill as many people as possible that day” and wanted their actions and ideology spread to a wider audience.
The case against the North Carolina teenager developed during the months-long investigation into the massacre involving the FBI, authorities in San Diego and law enforcement in North Carolina.
Officials said the decision to bring charges came after investigators examined her alleged communications and actions surrounding the attack.
