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What appeared to be a threat from a jury member led police to surround and protect Parkland school shooter Nicholas Cruz from fears that the incident could turn violent.
A group of 70 future jurors for Cruz’s sentencing trial filed for the Broward County Courthouse, Florida, after a lunch break Tuesday when Cruz’s lawyers briefed bailiffs on the actions of one of the jurors. According to the Associated Press, the man uttered obscene words to Cruz, which led bailiffs to remove him.
JUDICIAL BEGINS THE PHASE OF CONVICTION OF THE SENTENCE OF PARKLAND SHOOTER AT PARKLAND SCHOOL NICHOLAS CRUIS BEGINS
The juror shook his head, repeating, “That’s awful.” The turmoil then made other jurors “excited”, said District Court Judge Elizabeth Scherer. As he was led out of the courtroom, the juror looked back at Cruz, prompting lawmakers to grab the defendant and surround him.
“One incites and then there are many followers,” Broward Sheriff Captain Osvaldo Tianga, who heads the court’s security, told the AP.
Cruz’s lawyer, Melissa McNeill, meanwhile, said she “appreciates[s] that’s the job, “she asked if lawmakers needed to grab her client instead of just standing in front of him.
After the chaos subsided, Judge Scherer met with lawyers from both sides before deciding to fire the entire group of 70. The judge said lawmakers followed them out of the building to make sure they didn’t say anything that would affect other future jurors who are still waiting their turn.
PARKLAND SHOOTING: POTENTIAL NICHOLAS CRUZ SENTENCES JURY, SAYS HE CAN’T BE ON JURY BECAUSE OF “SUGAR DAD”
Scherer said some fired jurors “talked” to police while they were being taken out.
Cruz pleaded guilty in October to killing 17 people in 2018 at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. A jury is now being selected for a trial that will determine whether Cruz will be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole.
Marjorie Stoneman High School shooter Douglas Nicholas Cruz is waiting for future jurors to enter the courtroom during the criminal phase of his trial at Broward County Court in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on Tuesday, April 26, 2022 (Amy Beth Bennett / South Florida Sun – Sentinel via AP, Pool)
The selection of the jury began on April 4 and had its share of controversies. At the beginning, a female juror explained to the judge that she was not sure if the trial – which is expected to last from June to September – was on schedule, as she has upcoming family birthdays, and said: “I have my sugar dad. which I see every day. “
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Scherer said, prompting the woman to explain, “I’m married and have my sugar dad,” whom she sees “every day.”
She was eventually fired.
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On Monday, Scherer fired 250 future jurors and renewed the jury’s election due to his own possible mistake.
Of the hundreds of potential jurors, 12 will be elected to the commission, in addition to eight deputies.
Michael Ruiz and Matteo Sina of Fox News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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