Nikolas Cruz

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Parkland Victims' Families End Fight on Killer's Name, Likeness

All will share evenly on publicity rights and annuity

(Newser) - A nasty legal rift between the most seriously wounded survivor of the 2018 Parkland high school massacre and the families of some of the 17 murdered victims was settled Monday, with all sides now owning an equal share of the killer's publicity rights and an annuity he might receive....

Inside the Years-Long Effort for Mercy for the Parkland Shooter
They Found 'Grounds
for Mercy' for Nikolas Cruz
longform
Sep 21, 2024 3:15 PM CDT

They Found 'Grounds for Mercy' for Nikolas Cruz

Joe Sexton delves into the defense team's effort to spare the Parkland shooter the death penalty

(Newser) - In a piece aptly titled "The Hardest Case for Mercy" for the Marshall Project , Joe Sexton delves deep into the defense effort to spare Nikolas Cruz's life. It's not an easy read: The families of the 17 people he shot dead and the 17 others he wounded...

Deal Gives Way for Shooting Survivors to Own the Narrative

Parkland survivor Anthony Borges controls the rights to the name of shooter Nikolas Cruz

(Newser) - In June, one of the survivors of the 2018 Parkland school massacre in Florida won an unusual legal settlement, one that gives Anthony Borges control over the name of shooter Nikolas Cruz. One big result is that Cruz won't be able to profit from his shooting spree—he can'...

Parkland Survivor Now Owns the Name of the Shooter

Gunman Nikolas Cruz can't do any interviews without OK from survivor Anthony Borges, 21

(Newser) - Anthony Borges was the most seriously wounded survivor of the Parkland school shooting, a high school freshman shot five times in the abdomen, lungs, and legs in the 2018 massacre. Now, the 21-year-old has reached a civil settlement with shooter Nikolas Cruz, in which Cruz must obtain permission from Borges...

Commission: Parkland Judge Should Be Reprimanded

Elizabeth Scherer showed bias toward prosecution in trial, allowed 'emotions to overcome' judgment

(Newser) - The Florida judge who oversaw the penalty trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz should be publicly reprimanded for showing bias toward the prosecution, failing to curtail "vitriolic statements" directed at Cruz's attorneys, and allowing "emotions to overcome her judgment," reports the AP . The Judicial Qualifications...

Judge Who Hugged Parkland Prosecutor Disqualified From Case

Death row inmate argued Elizabeth Scherer showed unfair sympathy to prosecutors

(Newser) - The Florida judge who sentenced school shooter Nikolas Cruz to 34 life terms last year after a jury couldn't reach a unanimous decision on the death penalty has been disqualified from another death penalty case. The Florida Supreme Court ruled Thursday that Judge Elizabeth Scherer had shown unfair sympathy...

Lawyer Who Flipped Bird in Parkland Court Investigated

Florida Bar confirms probe involving Tamara Curtis, assistant public defender for shooter

(Newser) - One of the assistant public defenders for the Parkland school shooter is now the subject of a probe herself. Per NBC Miami , the Florida Bar confirmed Thursday that Tamara Curtis is being investigated, though it's remaining tight-lipped on what the investigation entails. Local 10 reports that Curtis wasn't...

After Families Are Heard, Judge Sentences Cruz

Parkland killer officially receives 34 terms of life in prison

(Newser) - Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz formally received a sentence of life without parole Wednesday after families of the 17 people he killed spent two days berating him as evil, a coward, a monster, and subhuman. Cruz, shackled and in a red jail jumpsuit, watched intently as Judge Elizabeth Scherer sentenced...

Victim's Grandparents Tell Cruz to Go to Hell

Two-day sentencing hearing started Tuesday

(Newser) - Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz's two-day sentencing hearing began Tuesday with the families of the 17 people he murdered, as well as some of the victims who survived, getting their first chance to speak to him directly. They used emotional and often angry terms to describe the devastation he...

'Crime May Have Been Committed' in Cruz Jury Room

Prosecutors request investigation after juror describes possible threat

(Newser) - Hours after a jury recommended life in prison for the school shooter in the 2018 massacre in Parkland, Fla., prosecutors requested an investigation into the deliberations and asserted that "a crime may have been committed." One juror has claimed she felt threatened by another juror during discussions, according...

Most Jurors Backed Executing Cruz, Foreman Says

3 members believe killer to be mentally ill

(Newser) - A majority of the jury wanted the killer of 17 people at a Florida high school in 2018 to be executed, but three of the 12 members would not support the death penalty, the foreman said Thursday. So Nikolas Cruz was sentenced to life in prison without parole in the...

Families Blast Cruz Decision: 'I Just Don't Understand'

Parkland, Florida, school shooter will not be executed

(Newser) - Nikolas Cruz will not be executed for killing 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Florida, in 2018, and families of the victims don't understand it. "We are beyond disappointed with the outcome today," Lori Alhadeff, whose daughter, Alyssa was killed, said at a news conference...

Nikolas Cruz Jury Spares His Life
It's a Life Sentence
for Nikolas Cruz
Oct 13, 2022 11:01 AM CDT

It's a Life Sentence for Nikolas Cruz

Without parole, as jury spares life of gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

(Newser) - A Florida jury has spared the life of Nikolas Cruz, the gunman who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, reports the AP . The 12-member panel said Thursday that the 24-year-old should not be executed. As a result, he will get a life sentence without the chance of...

Jurors Ask to See Cruz's Gun
Jurors Ask to See Cruz's Gun
Oct 13, 2022 6:50 AM CDT

Jurors Ask to See Cruz's Gun

They also requested a readback of fetal alcohol testimony

(Newser) - Jurors tasked with deciding whether Nikolas Cruz lives or dies have asked to see the gun he killed 17 people with. They asked to see the weapon at 5pm Wednesday, toward the end of their first day of deliberations , but Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer said she was unable to...

The Life of Parkland Shooter Soon Goes to Jury's Hands

Deliberations begin Wednesday in penalty phase of Nikolas Cruz trial

(Newser) - 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...

Cops: Parkland Shooter's Brother Is Being Exploited

Zachary Cruz's caretaker Mike Donovan, accused with husband, blames 'corrupt cops'

(Newser) - Two men with whom the brother of Parkland, Fla., school shooter Nikolas Cruz has been living with in Virginia are now accused of exploiting him. Mike Donovan and Richard Moore, both 45, were arrested Wednesday on charges of exploiting a mentally incapacitated person and obtaining money by false pretenses, then...

Expert Says Cruz Faked Fetal Alcohol Symptoms

School shooter scored low on finger-tapping test, but pulled trigger 20 times in 7 seconds

(Newser) - Prosecutors spent several dull hours Tuesday trying to prove Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz purposely did poorly on tests administered to see if he suffers from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, the primary reason his attorneys say he murdered 17 people four years ago. But after presenting dozens of charts showing...

Defense Makes Shock Move in Cruz Case, Shouting Ensues

Judge and lead defense attorney get into it

(Newser) - Attorneys for Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz suddenly and surprisingly rested their case Wednesday, leading to a shouting match after the judge accused them of a lack of professionalism. Cruz's attorneys had told the judge and prosecutors they would be calling 80 witnesses but rested at the beginning of...

Lawyer: Nikolas Cruz Was 'Poisoned in the Womb'

Witness testifies that school shooter's mother refused to stop using drugs when pregnant

(Newser) - After weeks of harrowing testimony in the penalty trial of school shooter Nikolas Cruz, his defense team wants jurors to know more about the "person responsible for all that pain and all of that suffering." Public defender Melisa McNeill said in her opening statement Monday that jurors would...

Defense Expert: Small Talk With Cruz Was Revealing

He said it's clear school shooter still has 'irrational thoughts'

(Newser) - Prosecutors rested their case in Nikolas Cruz's death penalty trial on Aug. 4 ; the defense will get its turn starting Monday. In the interim, both sides are arguing before Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer about whether the brain scans, tests, and other evidence the defense wants to present is scientifically...

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