In a visit to the three-story building where he killed 14 students and three staff members four years ago, jurors in Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz’s trial are likely to stroll through the still blood-spattered halls of Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Thursday.
The 30-mile trip from the Broward County Courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale to the suburban school for the seven-person, five-person jury, and 10 alternates will be made by bus under strong security. To stop demonstrators from interfering with the proceedings and to ensure the safety of the jurors, law enforcement intends to barricade the area around the school and prohibit planes from flying overhead.
Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, the prosecution, and Cruz’s legal team will enter the premises with the panelists and their law enforcement escorts. According to one of Cruz’s attorneys, he won’t be there. The visit is expected to support the prosecution’s contention that the former Stoneman Douglas student’s actions were cold, calculated, heinous, and cruel; they increased the risk of many people dying; and they “interfered with a government function”—all aggravating factors under Florida’s capital punishment law. The prosecution is wrapping up its case.
According to Florida court regulations, when the jury retraces the path Cruz took on February 14, 2018, as he methodically moved from floor to floor, firing down hallways and into classrooms as he went, neither the judge nor the attorneys are allowed to speak to the jurors, and the jurors aren’t allowed to speak to each other. The jury has previously viewed photos and surveillance video of the shooting’s aftermath.
Journalists won’t be permitted entry until after the jury members have left, and they won’t be allowed to bring cameras.
Since soon after the slaughter, the building has been locked and encircled by a chain-link fence. It is known as the freshman building and the 1200 building, and is plainly visible to anybody nearby. It looms menacingly over the school, its faculty, staff, and 3,300 students. When the prosecutors give their approval, the Broward County school district intends to destroy it. It is currently a court exhibit.
“When you are driving past, it’s there. When you are going to class, it’s there. It is just a colossal structure that you can’t miss,” said Kai Koerber, who was a Stoneman Douglas junior at the time of the shooting. He is now at the University of California, Berkeley, and the developer of a mental health phone app. “It is just a constant reminder … that is tremendously trying and horrible.”
Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of first-degree murder; the only issue still up for trial is whether or not he would get a death sentence.
Since the shooting, the interior of the structure has remained mostly unaltered: Bloodstains still cover the floor, and doors and walls are pocked with bullet holes. Classroom doors’ windows have been shot out. Deflated balloons, rotten Valentine’s Day flowers, and other gifts are all over the place. Only the bodies and individual items, such as backpacks, have been taken out.
Prosecutors are hoping the visit would be “the final element in removing any doubt that any juror could have had that the death penalty is the sole recommendation that can be made,” according to Miami defense attorney David S. Weinstein.
These site visits are uncommon. Former prosecutor Weinstein claimed he had only one jury trial out of more than 150 since the late 1980s.
They are uncommon because they are a logistical headache for the judge, who must safely transport the jury to the site and back to the courthouse or risk a mistrial.
Additionally, a visit would typically not provide accurate proof: After law enforcement has left, the structure or public area is put back to its original usage. Things are moved, the scene is cleaned up, and repairs are performed. For this reason, many judges instruct juries not to visit the place on their own during trials.
The visit, along with the numerous graphic videos and photos jurors have already seen, could provide Cruz’s attorneys with a path forward if they find themselves in a similar situation, according to Craig Trocino, a University of Miami law professor who has defended defendants appealing their death sentences.
“At some point evidence becomes inflammatory and prejudicial,” he said. “The site visit may be a cumulative capstone.”
Cruz’s defense have contended that the prosecution used evidence not just to support their case but also to arouse the emotions of the jury.
Soon after the visit, the prosecution is anticipated to rest its case.
More impact statements from families who lost loved ones in the tragedy were also presented to the jury on Wednesday, according to CBS Miami.
Tony and Jennifer Montalto, whose daughter Gina, 14, was killed, are among them.
They talked about how it had a terrible impact on their family.
“Gina was kind, smart, and loved to read,” her father Tony said as he recalled Gina saving a 2-year-old from drowning when Gina was just 10 years old.
Max Schacter claimed that his family was also broken. His son Alex, age 14, lost his life in the shooting.
Schacter admitted, “I’ll always have a sad part of me.”
A poem that Alex had written and discarded before the murderous day was read aloud by his son Brian.
The poem, “Life is like a roller coaster,” describes how life’s ups and downs are similar to a swiftly moving roller coaster.
In order to pay tribute to his son’s memory and convey the tragedy of losing a talented writer, Max Schacter has read the poem aloud on numerous occasions.