SeesSeas
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GUILTY FL - 17 killed in Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Parkland, 14 Feb 2018 *shooter Guilty, School officer NG* #5
- Thread starter BetteDavisEyes
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SeesSeas
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Teacher describes Parkland school shooter as attention-seeking bully; defense seeks to ‘prohibit’ death penalty
A teacher described him as an attention-seeking bully and a principal said teachers feared him. Meanwhile, his defense team sought a mistrial and when that failed started an effort to "prohibit" the state from seeking the death penalty.
[...]
John Vesey, the former principal of Westglades Middle School, said he still remembered Cruz’s “neediness” and his adoptive mother, Lynda Cruz, who reported he didn’t get along with his brother Zachary Cruz.
[...]
WITNESS TAMPERING ALLEGATION
After the judge admonished attorneys over court decorum, McNeill asked Scherer for a 24-hour recess and she accused Marcus of joining a conference call with Vesey on Thursday morning.
“It was an incredibly uncomfortable phone call. To this hour, I don’t understand why that even occurred,” Vesey said during his testimony on Thursday afternoon.
McNeill said there needed to be an investigation on the phone call Vesey received from his “personal friend” Attorney Christopher Whitlock, who represents several Broward County Public Schools employees, and introduced Marcus to the call.
“Mr. Whitlock advised that Mr. Marcus was a friend of his and then they said to him that they had concerns about his testimony today and how it could impact the district and how it could impact the individuals who work for the district,” McNeill said adding Vesey said he felt nervous and uncomfortable and “like they were trying to prohibit him from testifying.”
[...]
Defense claims prosecutor needs to be investigated for witness tampering
Defense claims prosecutor needs to be investigated for witness tampering
VIDEO: Defense claims prosecutor needs to be investigated for witness tampering
Published: September 1, 2022 at 2:50 PM
SeesSeas
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SeesSeas
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Judge allows jury to view swastikas drawn by Florida school shooter
Defense loses attempt to redact Nazi symbols by arguing that Nikolas Cruz's killing of 17 people at Parkland high school was not driven by bigotry
www.timesofisrael.com
The attorneys told Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer outside the jury’s presence that the Nazi symbol creates such strong anger and revulsion that allowing the panel to see those drawings violates his right to a fair trial because there is no evidence that his 2018 murder of 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High was driven by bigotry. Those killed and the 17 wounded included white, Black, Hispanic and Asian people, Christians and Jews.
[...]
Vesey said success at Cross Creek is not necessarily predictive that a student like Cruz will succeed at a school like Stoneman Douglas with more than 3,000 students.
Cross Creek is “150 kids with support built in and you can make sure they are much more medication compliant,” Vesey said.
Vesey wishes he had warned Stoneman Douglas administrators about Cruz before he arrived.
“I feel very guilty about it,” he said.
Sounds like it!
cujenn81
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It sounds like it was a three ring circus!
Slightly O/T but I don’t even know what that means (in a literal sense). What exactly is a “three ring” circus? I guess I probably shouldn’t use metaphors when I don’t actually know what I’m saying… lol.
ETA: Thanks Mirriam!
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SeesSeas
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cujenn81
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That was super intense! I’ve only watched a few snippets of this trial, but the judge always seems super annoyed to me. Or like she hates her job and would literally rather be anywhere else.September 1, 2022Teacher describes Parkland school shooter as attention-seeking bully; defense seeks to ‘prohibit’ death penalty
A teacher described him as an attention-seeking bully and a principal said teachers feared him. Meanwhile, his defense team sought a mistrial and when that failed started an effort to "prohibit" the state from seeking the death penalty.www.local10.com
[...]
John Vesey, the former principal of Westglades Middle School, said he still remembered Cruz’s “neediness” and his adoptive mother, Lynda Cruz, who reported he didn’t get along with his brother Zachary Cruz.
[...]
WITNESS TAMPERING ALLEGATION
After the judge admonished attorneys over court decorum, McNeill asked Scherer for a 24-hour recess and she accused Marcus of joining a conference call with Vesey on Thursday morning.
“It was an incredibly uncomfortable phone call. To this hour, I don’t understand why that even occurred,” Vesey said during his testimony on Thursday afternoon.
McNeill said there needed to be an investigation on the phone call Vesey received from his “personal friend” Attorney Christopher Whitlock, who represents several Broward County Public Schools employees, and introduced Marcus to the call.
“Mr. Whitlock advised that Mr. Marcus was a friend of his and then they said to him that they had concerns about his testimony today and how it could impact the district and how it could impact the individuals who work for the district,” McNeill said adding Vesey said he felt nervous and uncomfortable and “like they were trying to prohibit him from testifying.”
[...]
Defense claims prosecutor needs to be investigated for witness tampering
Defense claims prosecutor needs to be investigated for witness tamperingVIDEO: Defense claims prosecutor needs to be investigated for witness tampering
Published: September 1, 2022 at 2:50 PM
Understandably, emotions run higher than usual during death penalty trials… but it has to be super stressful for the jury to sit through such intense arguments (not to mention the horrific testimony) day after day after day after day.
Oh wow. What a mess this is… what if they are recused? Would this trial have to be restarted?
turaj
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I think defense is playing so many games now that the judge is having a problem trying to keep this moving and yet try to be fair. I think the trial and penalty phase especially should have had some time limit...now it is just repeat of same info from witness to witness and I guess no end in sight. Now defense will not give notice of who they are calling so expect each time state will need to go and meet with them and plan strategy. I came come to not ike or have any respect for the defense team and have to wonder how this impacts the jury? Now a very long break again. Personally I just watch now to be sure not to miss Zach if he is called. The rest are just same old...same old.
Wow. I fee so bad for the families sitting through this for weeks and weeks.
Dotta
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Im following this trial and simply don't understand how somebody this disturbed was allowed to buy weapons legally.
Defence witnesses made me realize how absolutely unfit he was to obtain semi automatic rifle.
He was a disaster waiting to happen
MOO
Defence witnesses made me realize how absolutely unfit he was to obtain semi automatic rifle.
He was a disaster waiting to happen
MOO
turaj
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It is textbook 101 in another child in school where I think the mother was asking for help but everything disconnected. How many times has it been pointed out in questioning that mother did not tell the whole story to each provider and it seems no central coordination of any of his care/meds etc. Apparently no documented records of much other than ADHD and guess nothing of record to stop the gun purchase. There is so much bad info out there on Cruz that I am unclear if Lynda knew about the gun at all?
SeesSeas
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Nikolas Cruz sentencing trial: Gunman's mother sought explanation for son's violent behavior
Testimony in the death penalty phase of the Nikolas Cruz trial resumed Friday. Two witnesses were social workers who knew him as a youth.
[...]
Lynda Cruz told social worker 'something is very wrong' with Nikolas Cruz
Lillian Pardo-Posse, a former social worker for Broward County Schools, read aloud an interview she conducted with Cruz's adoptive mother in 2013 to assess her eldest son's strengths and weaknesses."Nik is a loving kid," Lynda Cruz told her.
He was a gentle soul, she said, caring, affectionate, interested in animals and obsessed with Xbox. But he also had trouble reading, expressing himself and interacting with children. He couldn't control his temper.
"He starts screaming, kicking, throwing things, and punching holes in the walls," she said. "When he throws a tantrum, things get broken. Nothing is safe."
[...]
Lynda Cruz told Pardo-Posse that the walls in her home were "polka-dotted" with spackle from all the holes she'd had to fill. Her son hated to lose, she said, and when he did, he'd start to scream and curse.
"Something is very wrong with him," she said. "I know he has ADD, but that does not explain his behaviors."
[...]
SeesSeas
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Another FDLE document:Florida Department of Law Enforcement
Unreported Information Showing Nikolas Cruz’s Troubling BehaviorFDLE Home
www.fdle.state.fl.us
Many people, through a variety of forums, had knowledge of Cruz’s
concerning behavior that they did not report.
Others had knowledge of Cruz’s concerning behavior that they
reported but that information was not acted on by the person to
whom they made the report.
Some of the knowledge people gained about Cruz was gleaned from
social media posts and other knowledge was based on personal
observations or information they received.
We have identified at least 30 people who had knowledge of
troubling behavior Cruz exhibited prior to the MSDHS shooting that
was not reported or it was reported but not acted upon.
The following reflects the categories of Cruz’s unreported behavior
known to people before the shooting:
Animal Cruelty/Killing: 7
Knife/bullet/firearm seen in Cruz’s possession: 19
Statements of hatred toward a group or person: 8
Statements of desire/or to hurt or kill people: 11
Specific statement to shoot school: 3
[...]
Broward County Sheriff’s Office Contact Summary with Nikolas Cruz
It is has been accurately reported that the Broward County Sheriff’s Office had contacts with the Cruz family prior to February 14, 2018. There were a total of 43 contacts and of the 43, 21 involved Nikolas Cruz alone or Nikolas Cruz and Zachary Cruz. 23 of the incidents involved only Zachary Cruz.
Of the 21 incidents involving Nikolas Cruz most are minor and warranted no further law
enforcement action. The responses to a few of the incidents should have received further followup and are under internal review by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. The following are the categories of the 21 incidents:
Children Fighting or Running Away: 9
Nikolas Acting Out Toward His Mother (Domestic): 4
Follow-Up to Previous Call: 1
Response to 9/16 Threat Assessment: 1
Complaint of Cruz Shooting Chickens: 1
Complaint about Instagram Posts Involving Guns: 2
Field Interview Report (FIR):1
Family Friends Calling BSO Warning About Cruz: 2
[...]
Nikolas Cruz sentencing trial: Principal regrets not warning Stoneman Douglas about gunman
Testimony in the death penalty phase of the Nikolas Cruz trial resumed Thursday with testimony from two educators who dealt with him in middle school.
it is extraordinary just how many people in hindsight are testifying to we knew he was a danger to the school, if one thing positive comes out of all this it will be that attention is paid to children who like Nikolas were in need of help and this need never have happened if instead of not heeding his warnings they listened to them, from a very young age his interest in death and dying and killing was a preoccupation, then as he got older his interest in guns also was a fascination,
hindsight is a wonderful thing, but we don't need hindsight to know that he could have been stopped, to me it seems many people knew he was a school shooter waiting to happen,
hindsight is a wonderful thing, but we don't need hindsight to know that he could have been stopped, to me it seems many people knew he was a school shooter waiting to happen,
SeesSeas
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Judge schedules Tuesday hearing in Parkland school shooter’s case
The Parkland school shooter’s defense warned the judge and the prosecution on Thursday that they have grounds to put a stop to the trial’s death penalty phase.
Scherer said jurors don’t have to return until 9 a.m., on Sept. 12.
The defense has about 60 more witnesses.
Parkland school shooter’s defense claims alleged misconduct is basis to ‘prohibit’ death penalty
The Parkland school shooter’s defense warned the judge and the prosecution on Thursday that they have grounds to put a stop to the trial’s death penalty phase.
“It was an incredibly uncomfortable phone call. To this hour, I don’t understand why that even occurred,” Vesey later said during his testimony on Thursday afternoon.
McNeill told Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer that the defense needs to file a motion to “disqualify or to prohibit the imposition” of the death penalty or the state from seeking the death penalty based on prosecutorial misconduct.
Whitelock and Marcus “had concerns about his testimony today and how it could impact the district and how it could impact the individuals who work for the district,” McNeill said adding Vesey told the defense he felt “like they were trying to prohibit him from testifying.”