Wesley Center, a Texas counselor, said that happened last year at the Broward County jail as he fitted Cruz's scalp with probes for a scan to map his brain. The defense at hearings this week will try to convince Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer that Center and oth...
Former Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer told the Florida International University law students that the attorneys "lost their minds" as they defended Nikolas Cruz during his 2022 trial for the killing of 14 students and three staff members atMarjory Stoneman Douglas High Schoolo...
Last week, Cruz stood before Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer andpleaded guilty to attempted aggravated batteryon a law enforcement officer, and three other charges in the case of the jailhouse beating of a Broward Sheriff's deputy, nine months after the school shootings. At the We...
dozen armed deputies who always stand just behind Cruz then grabbed and surrounded him, fearing that the first juror was about to run toward them and would be joined by others."The sheriff's office observed all of that and determined they needed to protect Mr. Cruz," Scherer said."One ...
The guilty pleas will set the stage for a penalty trial in which 12 jurors will determine whether Cruz, 23, should be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole. Given the case’s notoriety, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer plans to screen thousands of prospective jurors. Jury selectio...
Cruz issued an apology to the victims' families.Standing before Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, and in front of several family members of those who died, Cruz lowered his mask and said, "I am very sorry for what I did. And I have to live with it every day. And that if...
Danielle Woodard testified she held Cruz as a baby but has not been in the same room as him again until court Monday. The defense case may include testimony from Cruz’s siblings. Last week, Judge Elizabeth Scherer granted the state’s motion to compel depositions for Zachary Cruz, the ...
Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer is expected to formally sentence Cruz November 1 at 9 a.m., but under Florida law, the judge cannot depart from the jury’s recommendation of life in prison. Victims and family members are expected to speak before the sentence is delivered. ...
He called Nikolas Cruz a coward and said: “You’re going to die before me, and I will celebrate when you die.” Oliver was the last family member to offer an impact statement in the sentencing of Cruz. Judge Elizabeth Scherer is now moving forward with the sentencing. ...
In July, survivors of the Parkland shootingdelivered emotional testimonyin support of the state’s death penalty case; the following month, jurors — as well as prosecutors, Cruz’s lawyers, and the judge — weretransportedfrom the courthouse to the still-closed Marjory Stoneman Dougl...