GUILTY FL - 17 killed in Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Parkland, 14 Feb 2018 *shooter Guilty, School officer NG* #5

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Florida Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz protected in court after juror threat
Deputies protect Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz in court after juror threat
April 27, 2022
The jury selection for school shooter Nikolas Cruz turned into a melee in a Florida courtroom Tuesday when a potential juror “mouthed expletives” at Cruz, causing deputies to swarm and protect the defendant.
[...]
Scherer dismissed the entire panel after Tuesday’s incident and said many became “belligerent” and “got mouthy” when they were escorted out of the courtroom.
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Lawyers for Nikolas Cruz say death penalty should no longer be option amid tumultuous jury selection
April 27, 2022
Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz should not have to face the death penalty after a procedural error caused the judge to dismiss more than 200 potential jurors, bringing the selection process all the way back to square one, his lawyers argued.

In a motion filed on Wednesday, Cruz’s attorneys requested Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer end jury selection and instead sentence the self-professed gunman to life in prison without parole.
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“The improper striking of all previous panels violates double jeopardy and due process,” according to a motion obtained by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
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Paywall:
Prosecutors and defense clash over motion to block the death penalty in Parkland mass shooting case
FLORIDA SCHOOL SHOOTING
Prosecutors and defense clash over motion to block the death penalty in Parkland mass shooting case
 
Cruz's defense team seeks to bar death penalty from case
Apr. 27, 2022
In Wednesday's filing, Cruz's defense team contends that the dismissal of the potential jurors would only make the situation worse.

"The striking of all of these prospective jurors exponentially compounds the potential error by prematurely excusing them without knowing whether the initial error can be cured," the defense team said in Wednesday's filing. "Moreover, notwithstanding the State’s contentions, the improper striking of all previous panels violates double jeopardy and due process. Thus, if this Court does not intend to reverse its order striking all previous panels, and further does not intend to make an attempt to return the 11 improperly excused jurors to court, the State must be barred from seeking the death penalty and the proceedings must conclude."

Read the defense team's motion:
Cruz's defense team seeks to bar death penalty from case
IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SEVENTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
IN AND FOR BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA
STATE OF FLORIDA, Plaintiff,
vs.
NIKOLAS CRUZ,, Defendant.
CASE NO: 18001958CF10Avs.
JUDGE: SCHERER
OPPOSITION TO STATE’S MOTION TO STRIKE JURY PANEL AND
MOTION TO STRIKE THE DEATH PENALTY (D-273)

 
Judge in Nikolas Cruz sentencing reverses course on jury selection
Judge in Nikolas Cruz sentencing reverses course on jury selection
CNN - April 27, 2022 9:57 PM
The judge presiding over the Nikolas Cruz sentencing reversed course Wednesday, deciding against starting over with jury selection -- something she said two days earlier would happen at the prosecution's request.

"I was going to grant the state's motion without prejudice, (but) at this time I am going to dismiss the state's motion as premature," Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Scherer said.
[...]
"I'm going to start over," Scherer said Monday. "As soon as the panel comes up, I'm granting the motion. We're going to start over."

Scherer, however, added a caveat: She would allow the defense to argue on Wednesday why they shouldn't start over, an argument that prevailed, as the judge said that she would instead bring those 11 prospective jurors back Monday for additional questioning rather than starting over entirely.
[...]
 
joe jones said:
the judge seems all over the place with her rulings
Click to expand...
Agreed! The whole thing has been a dumper fire of epic proportions. What a mess… I feel so bad for the victims and their families.
 
Formerly Dismissed, 11 Prospective Jurors Summoned To Serve In Nikolas Cruz Death Penalty Trial
April 29, 2022
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – The 11 jurors mistakenly dismissed by Broward Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Sherer are being told to return to the courthouse first thing Monday morning to appear at the Nikolas Cruz sentencing trial.
[...]

Court summons 11 prospective jurors in Nikolas Cruz death penalty trial
April 29, 2022
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Jury selection in the death penalty case against Nikolas Cruz will continue on Monday with the return of a group of jurors who had been dismissed earlier this month.

The Broward County Clerk of Courts issued the summons for the group of 11 Broward County residents on April 28th and warned that a failure to appear could result in contempt of court charges, Local 10 News Reporter Christina Vazquez reported Friday
[...]
 
Jury selection in Nikolas Cruz trial to resume Monday under cloud of uncertainty
Updated: May 2, 2022, 6:19 AM
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – With jury selection in the Nikolas Cruz trial set to resume Monday, 11 prospective jurors have been summoned to return to the courtroom.

This was the same panel the defense team argued was prematurely excused earlier this month before attorneys had a chance to question them.
[...]
 
LIVE UPDATES: Jury selection continues as 11 dismissed potential jurors summoned back
LIVE UPDATES: Judge proposes another delay in jury selection

Week 5
Day 8: May 2, 2022

9:30 a.m. - The judge ended court for the day and proposed starting back up Wednesday for a status hearing and pushing back all groups one week.

9:25 a.m. - Only one of the ten potential jurors who was summoned back to court was excused for a scheduling hardship.

8:58 a.m. - Only ten of the 11 potential jurors who were summoned back to court showed up Monday morning. The one potential juror who did not return said they were moving. The judge said that person will have to be summoned back at another time.
 
Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz Penalty Trial, Dismissed Potential Jurors Brought Back, Most Dismissed Again
Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz Penalty Trial, Dismissed Potential Jurors Brought Back, Most Dismissed Again
May 2, 2022 at 9:40 am
[...]
On Monday morning, 10 of the 11 potential jurors who were dismissed returned. Of those, nine of the 11 were excused and one was moved to the second round.

The 11 potential juror was a no show. That person is apparently in the process of moving and didn’t show up.

At the end of the proceeding, the judge announced they were done for the week.
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Given Cruz’s notoriety and the hatred, many in the community have for him, finding jurors who can be fair promises to be an excruciatingly long process.
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SeesSeas said:
Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz Penalty Trial, Dismissed Potential Jurors Brought Back, Most Dismissed Again
Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz Penalty Trial, Dismissed Potential Jurors Brought Back, Most Dismissed Again
May 2, 2022 at 9:40 am
[...]
On Monday morning, 10 of the 11 potential jurors who were dismissed returned. Of those, nine of the 11 were excused and one was moved to the second round.

The 11 potential juror was a no show. That person is apparently in the process of moving and didn’t show up.

At the end of the proceeding, the judge announced they were done for the week.
[...]
Given Cruz’s notoriety and the hatred, many in the community have for him, finding jurors who can be fair promises to be an excruciatingly long process.
[...]
Click to expand...
News article updated with explanation as to why proceedings are "done for the week":
Dismissed Potential Jurors For Nikolas Cruz Trial Brought Back, Most Dismissed Again
Dismissed Potential Jurors For Nikolas Cruz Trial Brought Back, Most Dismissed Again
By CBSMiami.com Team
May 2, 2022 at 12:10 pm
[...]
At the end of Monday’s proceedings, the judge announced they were done for the week. The reason for the week long delay was because Cruz’s lead attorney Melisa McNeill is apparently ill.

No public explanation was given for McNeill’s absence, but Judge Scherer asked McNeill’s assistants if she was being tested. The attorneys and the judge then held a private conversation, after which Scherer adjourned, saying she hoped everyone stayed well.

Broward County Public Defender Gordon Weekes declined to discuss McNeill’s status, including whether she has COVID-19 or any other illness. One of the assistant prosecutors was also absent from Monday’s hearing without explanation.
[...]
 
abcnews.go.com

Florida judge was assigned to school shooter case at random

The judge presiding over Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz's death penalty trial was assigned the case despite never having overseen a major trial
abcnews.go.com abcnews.go.com
Florida judge was assigned to school shooter case at random
May 13, 2022
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer was assigned the case of a former Florida student who gunned down 17 people in 2018 despite never having overseen a death penalty trial or one with much publicity.

Her assignment to the Nikolas Cruz case was made randomly by a computer program that didn't consider experience or the fact that no U.S. mass shooting of this magnitude had ever made it to court. The random selection process is used throughout much of Florida, but not by some other states.
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At the time she was assigned the case, Scherer had been a judge for six years, and her biggest trials were two second-degree murders and two manslaughters, a defense court filing shows.
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www.tampabay.com

Jury selection for Parkland school killer enters 2nd phase

One potential juror compared the questioning Monday to being interviewed for “the toughest job of my life.”
www.tampabay.com www.tampabay.com

www.news4jax.com

Jury selection for Florida school killer enters 2nd phase

Jury selection in the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz has entered its second phase with the attorneys asking questions of potential jurors individually.
www.news4jax.com www.news4jax.com
[...]
It took almost four hours to question the initial three potential jurors, the first of a pool of 400 who said during earlier screening that they could serve from mid-June through September, the scheduled duration of the trial.
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The woman told lead prosecutor Mike Satz that while she is familiar with the Stoneman Douglas shootings, she doesn’t know many details. She told him she could follow the law and impose the death penalty if required.

Secor, a death penalty specialist, asked the woman that if she were the ruler of an island, would it have a death penalty. She said it would not. Asked why, the woman paused for several seconds.

“I understand how some acts are just unexplainable,” she said. “But I am just human, right? And I do not have the power to understand what caused someone to commit an act. No one has that power except God. ... Nothing is going to bring the victims back.” Because of prosecutors' objections, her interview lasted almost 90 minutes. She passed the screening and was told to come back for a third and final round of questioning in a couple weeks.
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www.local10.com

Jury selection resumes in Nikolas Cruz’s death penalty trial

The search for the jurors who will decide if Nikolas Cruz will be executed for the 2018 Valentine’s Day massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland continued on Monday in Broward County.
www.local10.com www.local10.com

LEGAL EXPERTS

Rachel York Colangelo, national managing director of jury consulting at Magna Legal Services, said this phase of the jury selection process is known as “death qualification.”

“The law says that in order for a juror to make a determination as to whether or not, someone who has been found guilty should receive life in prison or the death penalty,” York Colangelo said. “They cannot be morally opposed to the death penalty, meaning the death penalty must be an option for that juror.”
 
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