30 Facts About Colleen LaRose

Colleen LaRose had married at age 16 and never finished high school.

Colleen LaRose had moved from Texas in 2004 to live in Pennsburg, Pennsylvania.

Colleen LaRose was prosecuted in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

Specifically, Colleen LaRose was charged with trying to recruit Islamic terrorists to wage violent Jihad and of plotting to murder the Swedish artist Lars Vilks, who had drawn a cartoon of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad.

Colleen LaRose was arraigned and initially pleaded not guilty on March 18,2010.

Colleen LaRose faced a maximum penalty of life in prison, and a $1-million fine.

Colleen LaRose was convicted on January 6,2014, and sentenced to 10 years.

Colleen LaRose was released from prison on November 2,2018.

Colleen LaRose was born in Michigan and grew up in Detroit.

Colleen LaRose has one sister, Pamela, who is three years older.

Colleen LaRose was briefly married at the age of 16 to Sheldon Barnum, who was 32 at the time.

Colleen LaRose later married Rodolfo "Rudy" Cavazos in 1988, when she was 24 years old; the marriage ended in divorce ten years later in 1998.

Colleen LaRose moved to the Philadelphia area in 2004 to live with her new boyfriend, Kurt Gorman, whom she had met in Ennis, Texas, when he was on a business trip.

Colleen LaRose told responding police that she did not want to die.

Colleen LaRose learned the basics of Islam from a mentor in Turkey and converted "via instant messenger".

Colleen LaRose became fixated with YouTube videos of attacks on Muslims by Israel and America.

Colleen LaRose posted copies of what appear to be attacks on US troops in Iraq.

Colleen LaRose sent emails expressing her desire to become a martyr.

Colleen LaRose was directed, on March 22,2009, to go to Sweden, to find and kill Vilks to frighten "the whole Kufar [non-believer] world".

Colleen LaRose had begun to become disillusioned when family illness back in America led her to "pause" and return home.

Colleen LaRose was kept in custody in Philadelphia without bail until her indictment was unsealed, to protect another investigation.

Colleen LaRose's indictment charged that along with five unindicted co-conspirators, she used the Internet to communicate with potential jihadists outside the US, conspired to commit murder, and financed terrorism.

Colleen LaRose was charged with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists, conspiracy to kill in a foreign country, making false statements to the FBI, and attempted identity theft.

Colleen LaRose was arraigned on March 18,2010, and pleaded not guilty to all four counts.

On February 1,2011, Colleen LaRose changed her plea to all charges.

Colleen LaRose was confined to her cell often for 23 hours a day but managed to become engaged to a fellow prisoner who promised to convert to Islam upon release.

Colleen LaRose spoke online about her plans with at least one of the suspects apprehended in Ireland, according to a US official.

Gardai believe Colleen LaRose may have visited Ireland to contact the suspects in 2009.

Colleen LaRose was the only American woman in recent years to have been charged in the US with similar terrorist violations.

Some terrorism experts pointed to Colleen LaRose's apparent mental instability, arguing she was an anomaly and not representative of a trend towards women jihadists.