Jury selection starts for Parkland mass shooter Nikolas Cruz. What to know about his trial
The sentencing trial for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz begins Monday, with the start of the jury selection process. Cruz, 23, murdered 17 people and wounded 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High on Feb. 14, 2018.
Here’s what you need to know about the proceedings:
Nikolas Cruz won’t be escaping punishment. The former MSD student pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of first-degree murder, and 17 counts of attempted murder. He’s also pleaded guilty to attacking a Broward sheriff’s deputy several months after the shooting.
There’s only two possible sentences: life in prison without the possibility of parole, or the death penalty.
The jury will have a lot to weigh. Prosecutors must prove “aggravating factors” that make this case worthy of the death penalty. They include the “heinous, atrocious and cruel” and calculated nature of the massacre, knowingly creating a “great risk of death to many persons” and his conviction for battering a Broward deputy.
The defense, meanwhile, has listed an array of “mitigating factors” they hope outweigh the aggravating ones. Included among them: mental-health disorders, brain damage caused by his mother’s drug and alcohol use, and claims that he was bullied and sexually abused by a “trusted peer.”
Jurors will have to be unanimous. If Cruz is to be executed for the worst school shooting in Florida history, 12 jurors will have to all agree. Prior to 2017, Florida jurors only needed to recommend death by a bare majority, with the judge imposing the sentence. Florida lawmakers changed the law after the U.S. Supreme Court declared the state’s sentencing structure unconstitutional.
If the jury deadlocks, Cruz will be spared death and be given an automatic life sentence.
Testimony won’t begin any time soon. Attorneys on Monday are beginning the “pre-qualification” process, which means they’ll look to excuse jurors who won’t or can’t serve because of scheduling issues or other hardship. Jury selection will likely last many weeks — and testimony could end up lasting four to six months.
You can watch the trial live. As all trials in Florida, the courtroom is open to the public, although there won’t be much to watch for weeks until jury selection begins. Gavel-to-gavel coverage — including opening statements, testimony and closing arguments — will eventually be broadcast live on Court TV’s website and local television stations, such as WPLG-10.
The courtroom itself is open. If you want to attend in person, the Broward Judicial Complex is located at 201 SE Sixth St., Ft. Lauderdale. The trial will be held on the 17th floor, and there’s a secondary security screening to enter.
This story was originally published April 1, 2022 at 12:00 AM.