Florida school shooter contemplated massacre for years
2 years, 2 months ago

Florida school shooter contemplated massacre for years

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz told a prosecution psychiatrist he began contemplating a mass murder during middle school, doing extensive research on earlier killers to learn their methods and mistakes to shape his own plans, video played at his penalty trial showed Monday. Cruz told Dr. Charles Scott during a March jailhouse interview that five years before he murdered 17 at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018, he read about the 1999 murder of 13 at Colorado’s Columbine High School, which sparked the idea of his own mass killing. Scott said Cruz told him that he chose Valentine’s Day for his massacre because “he has no one to love and love him.” “This was not a spur of the moment decision. Cruz told Scott he stopped shooting and fled when “I didn’t have anyone else to kill.” Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer rejected defense attorney Tamara Curtis’ attempt to cross-examine Scott about how Stoneman Douglas’ guards spotted Cruz as he entered campus carrying a large case just before the shooting, knew he was dangerous and did not stop him or warn teachers to lock their classrooms.

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History of this topic

Inside the chilling cult of the 'Columbiners': Disturbing number of school shooters around the world inspired by 1999 bloodbath as it's linked to latest tragedy where Natalie Rupnow, 15, killed teache
4 days, 20 hours ago

Inside the chilling cult of the 'Columbiners': Disturbing number of school shooters around the world inspired by 1999 bloodbath as it's linked to latest tragedy where Natalie Rupnow, 15, killed teache

Daily Mail  

On April 20, 1999, two teenage boys dressed in black trench coats went on a killing rampage at Columbine High School in what was at one time the deadliest school shooting in American history. Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz researched the 1999 massacre before gunning down 17 people at his Florida high school Investigators said that Cruz, who was sentenced to …

Florida deputy’s legal team says he didn’t have an obligation to stop Parkland school shooter
1 year ago

Florida deputy’s legal team says he didn’t have an obligation to stop Parkland school shooter

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A former Florida sheriff’s deputy is claiming he had no legal duty to confront the gunman who murdered 17 people and wounded 17 others at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School nearly six years ago, his attorney argued Monday. The legal team representing Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit brought …

Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz sentenced to life in prison
2 years, 1 month ago

Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz sentenced to life in prison

Al Jazeera  

US judge sentences Cruz to life without parole for 2018 attack at Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 people. A gunman who opened fire at a US high school in Parkland, Florida in 2018, killing 17 and wounding 17 others, has been sentenced to life in prison without parole, capping two days of emotional statements from family members of …

Nikolas Cruz sentencing trial: Key revelations about Parkland shooter and his massacre
2 years, 1 month ago

Nikolas Cruz sentencing trial: Key revelations about Parkland shooter and his massacre

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery An undated photograph of …

Nikolas Cruz sentencing: A timeline of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting
2 years, 1 month ago

Nikolas Cruz sentencing: A timeline of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy A jury has recommended …

Families get final say before Parkland shooter is sentenced
2 years, 1 month ago

Families get final say before Parkland shooter is sentenced

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz will be sentenced to life in prison this week — but not before the families of the 17 people he murdered get the chance to tell him what they think. After Cruz is sentenced, he will be transferred from the Broward County jail to the state correctional system’s processing center near …

Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz avoids death penalty and is sentenced to life
2 years, 2 months ago

Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz avoids death penalty and is sentenced to life

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. open image in gallery Marjory Stoneman Douglas High …

Nikolas Cruz’s chilling reason for ending Parkland shooting as he says he targeted victims over ‘nasty look’
2 years, 2 months ago

Nikolas Cruz’s chilling reason for ending Parkland shooting as he says he targeted victims over ‘nasty look’

The Independent  

The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Nikolas Cruz has revealed …

Florida jury recommends Parkland shooter serve life in prison
2 years, 2 months ago

Florida jury recommends Parkland shooter serve life in prison

Al Jazeera  

Jury says Nicolas Cruz should not get the death penalty for the murder of 17 students and staff at US high school. A Florida jury has recommended that a gunman who killed 17 people in a 2018 school shooting be spared the death penalty and instead be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. She said it …

Attorneys argue over school shooter’s fate: death or prison
2 years, 2 months ago

Attorneys argue over school shooter’s fate: death or prison

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The prosecutor and defense attorney for Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz agreed Tuesday that his 2018 attack that killed 17 people was horrible, but disagreed in their closing arguments on whether it was an act of evil worthy of execution or one of a broken person who should be imprisoned for life. The killings, he said, …

Florida school shooter may have been his own worst witness
2 years, 2 months ago

Florida school shooter may have been his own worst witness

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — It’s possible Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz talked himself into a death sentence. “All of this made Cruz himself perhaps one of the state’s best witnesses,” said David S. Weinstein, a Miami defense attorney and former prosecutor who has been monitoring the trial. “I studied mass murderers and how they did it, their plans, what they …

School shooter chose Valentine’s Day to ruin it forever
2 years, 2 months ago

School shooter chose Valentine’s Day to ruin it forever

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz calmly told a psychologist why he picked Valentine’s Day to massacre 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School four years ago: Because no one loved him, he wanted to ruin the holiday forever for anyone associated with the school. Cruz’s attorneys have contended throughout the trial that his birth …

In a surprise, the defense rests early in the Parkland school shooting trial
2 years, 3 months ago

In a surprise, the defense rests early in the Parkland school shooting trial

NPR  

In a surprise, the defense rests early in the Parkland school shooting trial Enlarge this image toggle caption Rhona Wise/AFP via Getty Images Rhona Wise/AFP via Getty Images In Florida, defense attorneys for the gunman who killed 17 people at a Parkland high school surprised prosecutors and the judge today by abruptly resting their case. Dr. Kenneth Jones said, "I …

Testimony: School shooter made threats years earlier
2 years, 3 months ago

Testimony: School shooter made threats years earlier

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — During his middle school years, Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz frequently cursed at teachers and made threats, and his drawings of gunshot victims were so disturbing that one teacher kept them for years, turning them over to authorities immediately after he massacred 17 people, evidence presented Tuesday at his penalty trial showed. During cross-examination of a …

Letter: School shooter fixated with guns, dreamed of killing
2 years, 3 months ago

Letter: School shooter fixated with guns, dreamed of killing

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Four years before Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 people at a Florida high school, therapists at another school wrote a letter to his psychiatrist saying he was fixated on guns and dreamed of killing others and being covered in blood, testimony at his penalty trial showed Thursday. Negin and another psychiatrist who treated Cruz in the decade …

Testimony: Florida school shooter was intellectually slow
2 years, 4 months ago

Testimony: Florida school shooter was intellectually slow

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz as a toddler was intellectually and physically behind other children, which caused him to isolate himself and hit and bite to get what he wanted, a daycare administrator and former neighbor testified Tuesday at his penalty trial for mass murder. If a teacher was trying to work with him to get …

Parkland School Shooter Was Intellectually Slow And Violent As Child, Court Hears
2 years, 4 months ago

Parkland School Shooter Was Intellectually Slow And Violent As Child, Court Hears

Huff Post  

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz is seen Tuesday during the penalty phase of his trial in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. via Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz as a toddler was intellectually and physically behind other children, which caused him to isolate himself and hit and bite to get what he wanted, a …

Florida school shooter’s AR-15 rifle shown to his jurors
2 years, 4 months ago

Florida school shooter’s AR-15 rifle shown to his jurors

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Jurors in the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz got their first view Monday of the AR-15-style rifle he used to murder 17 students and staff members four years ago at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, staring intently as it was carried to the front of the courtroom. Video seen by jurors previously …

Parkland school shooter acted casually after fleeing
2 years, 5 months ago

Parkland school shooter acted casually after fleeing

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz walked casually into a sandwich shop minutes after he murdered 14 students and three staff members at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School four years ago, showing no signs of stress or nervousness, video played at his penalty trial Thursday showed. Thursday’s abbreviated court session focused on Cruz’s attempted escape after …

Prosecutor recalls coldness, cruelty of Parkland gunman
2 years, 5 months ago

Prosecutor recalls coldness, cruelty of Parkland gunman

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The prosecutor seeking the death penalty for the gunman who massacred 17 people at a Parkland, Florida, high school detailed for jurors Monday how Nikolas Cruz coldly mowed down his victims, returning to some as they lay wounded to finish them off with a second volley. Some parents wept as prosecutor Mike Satz described in his …

Florida High School Shooter Nikolas Cruz's Penalty Trial Begins
2 years, 5 months ago

Florida High School Shooter Nikolas Cruz's Penalty Trial Begins

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The trial to determine whether the gunman who attacked a Parkland, Florida, high school is executed began Monday with a prosecutor describing how Nikolas Cruz mowed down his 17 victims, returning to some as they lay wounded to kill them with a second volley. Some parents wept as prosecutor Mike Satz described in …

Death penalty trial of Parkland high school shooter begins
2 years, 5 months ago

Death penalty trial of Parkland high school shooter begins

Al Jazeera  

The months-long US trial will decide whether Nikolas Cruz will be executed or sentenced to life without parole. Opening arguments have begun in the penalty phase of the trial of Nikolas Cruz, the man who killed 17 people at a Florida high school in 2018 – one of the deadliest school shootings in United States history. Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty …

Judge won’t delay Florida school shooting sentencing trial
2 years, 5 months ago

Judge won’t delay Florida school shooting sentencing trial

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A Florida judge has refused to delay the sentencing trial of Nikolas Cruz in the 2018 shooting at a high school in which 17 people were killed. Cruz’s lawyers had argued that recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, unleashed “a wave of emotion” nationally that could bias the just-seated jury against him …

Jury is chosen to decide Florida school shooter’s sentence
2 years, 5 months ago

Jury is chosen to decide Florida school shooter’s sentence

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — A jury of seven men and five women was tentatively chosen Tuesday for a penalty trial to decide whether Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz should be sentenced to death or get life in prison for the 2018 attack, capping a nearly three-month winnowing process that began with 1,800 candidates. The jury will decide whether Cruz, 23, …

April 4 jury selection set for Florida school shooter case
2 years, 9 months ago

April 4 jury selection set for Florida school shooter case

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Jury selection in the penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz is on track to begin April 4, the judge said Friday during a status conference with the lawyers. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer also set aside full days on March 30 and 31 to address any issues either side might have before the jury selection …

Nikolas Cruz pleads guilty to 2018 Parkland school massacre
3 years, 2 months ago

Nikolas Cruz pleads guilty to 2018 Parkland school massacre

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty Wednesday to murdering 17 people during a rampage at his former high school in Parkland, Florida, leaving a jury to decide whether he will be executed for one of the nation’s deadliest school shootings. He does not deserve life in prison.” Anthony Borges, a former Stoneman Douglas student who was shot five …

Nikolas Cruz pleads guilty to Parkland school shooting that left 17 dead
3 years, 2 months ago

Nikolas Cruz pleads guilty to Parkland school shooting that left 17 dead

LA Times  

The guilty plea by Nikolas Cruz, 23, does not guarantee that he will avoid a death sentence in the 2018 massacre of 17 people in Parkland, Fla. Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty Wednesday to murdering 17 people during a rampage at his former high school in Parkland, Fla., leaving a jury to decide whether he will be executed for one of …

Attorney: Cruz to plead guilty to Parkland school massacre
3 years, 2 months ago

Attorney: Cruz to plead guilty to Parkland school massacre

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The gunman who killed 14 students and three staff members at a Parkland, Florida, high school will plead guilty to their murders, his attorneys said Friday, bringing some closure to a South Florida community more than three years after an attack that sparked a nationwide movement for gun control. Cruz attorney David Wheeler told Circuit Judge …

The gunman will plead guilty to the Parkland, Fla., high school shootings
3 years, 2 months ago

The gunman will plead guilty to the Parkland, Fla., high school shootings

NPR  

The gunman will plead guilty to the Parkland, Fla., high school shootings Enlarge this image toggle caption Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/ TNS/ Getty Images Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/ TNS/ Getty Images Nikolas Cruz will plead guilty next Wednesday to killing 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., his defense team says. The …

Attorneys for school shooter want pretrial hearings closed
3 years, 4 months ago

Attorneys for school shooter want pretrial hearings closed

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Attorneys for the suspect in a 2018 Florida high school massacre told a judge Tuesday that the news media and public should be barred from all pretrial hearings, saying Nikolas Cruz’s right to an impartial jury will be irrevocably harmed if certain evidence is revealed before jurors are seated. Chief assistant public defender David Wheeler told …

Video shows Florida massacre suspect attacking jail guard
3 years, 5 months ago

Video shows Florida massacre suspect attacking jail guard

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Accused Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz rushed at a jail guard and was briefly able to wrestle him to the ground during a 2018 altercation before he was subdued, according to a video shown in court. The Nov. 13, 2018, jail altercation is being tried separately from the first-degree murder case, and Wednesday’s hearing was to …

Florida high school shooting defendant wants hearings closed
3 years, 5 months ago

Florida high school shooting defendant wants hearings closed

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Attorneys for the man accused of killing 17 people at a Florida high school in 2018 want a judge to close all future hearings to the media and the public to ensure a fair trial. A motion filed Thursday by lawyers for Nikolas Cruz says news coverage of pretrial hearings could instill bias among prospective jurors …

Florida school shooting case remains in limbo
4 years, 3 months ago

Florida school shooting case remains in limbo

Associated Press  

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The death penalty case against Nikolas Cruz in the 2018 massacre at a Florida high school remains in limbo. “All of that, unfortunately, is on hold.” Broward County State Attorney Michael Satz said his office is ready for trial but added that they must await the filing of various anticipated defense motions. Cruz, 21, is charged …

Judge: Florida school shooting trial off indefinitely
4 years, 6 months ago

Judge: Florida school shooting trial off indefinitely

Associated Press  

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The death penalty trial of the man charged with killing 17 people at a Florida high school is off indefinitely because of restrictions related to the coronavirus outbreak, a judge said Monday. Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer said in a hearing held remotely that it’s not even clear when the Broward County courthouse will reopen to …

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