New information regarding the Las Vegas mass shooting committed in early October of 2017 by gunman Stephen Paddock suggests his girlfriend, Marilou Danley, knew more about her lover’s plot than she had initially claimed.
According to search warrants unsealed Friday by a Nevada court, during the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department’s initial probe into the Oct. 1 mass shooting, investigators discovered that Danley deleted her Facebook account just hours after Paddock opened fire on the Route 91 Harvest Country Music Festival from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay hotel.
“Marilou Danley, the gunman’s girlfriend, who was in the Philippines at the time, set her Facebook account to private at 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 2 and had deleted the account by 2:46 a.m.,” reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
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The shooting began around 10:08 p.m., according to the New York Post. Not until roughly 3:30 a.m. the following morning was Paddock publicly identified as “a person of interest.”
Coupled with other evidence — including an admission by Danley that she oftentimes helped Paddock load magazines — this revelation has led authorities to conclude that Danley may have assisted Paddock in his plot.
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“She has been identified thus far as the most likely person who aided or abetted Stephen Paddock based on her informing law enforcement that her fingerprints would likely be found on the ammunition used during the attack,” the warrants this week reportedly read, according to The New York Times.
Paddock’s actions ultimately led to the deaths of 59 people, including himself.
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Another warrant further includes a request for access to Danley’s email and social media accounts on the basis that the information contained within them could “lead investigators to determine the full scope of Stephen Paddock’s plan and Marilou Danley’s possible involvement.”
Investigators are reportedly seeking to determine Danley’s “state of mind as it relates to the crime under investigation.”
It remains unclear if authorities have yet been granted this request.
The Times notes that authorities have yet to uncover any evidence showing that Danley “knew of (Paddock’s) plans or had been deceptive,” though investigators cautioned that the inquiry is far more over.
A number of additional questions remain unanswered. For instance, why had Danley’s casino player rewards card been in Paddock’s possession?
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Moreover, did Danley assist Paddock in acquiring his weapons, which included “four Daniel Defense DDM4 rifles, three FN-15s and other rifles made by Sig Sauer,” as reported months earlier by the Los Angeles Times.
In their request for access to Danley’s Instagram account, investigators specifically wrote that they were seeking “evidence showing the possession, use, purchase or sale of firearms, firearms accessories, ammunition or explosives by Paddock.”
As of mid-January, Danley had yet to be charged, let alone identified as a suspect.
It’s been noted though that Danley has cooperated with investigators from the very beginning.
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