Nikolas Cruz sentencing - live: Parkland shooter saw dad die and ‘inappropriately touched’ girl, court hears

The sentencing trial of Nikolas Cruz, convicted of the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, resumed in Florida court on Monday, with the defence presenting its case for a second week.

Cruz’s brother Zachary Cruz is expected to take the stand in the upcoming days after their sister Danielle Woodard was brought from jail to testify for his defence. Woodard said her brother was “polluted” in the womb by their biological mother who was an alcoholic and drug addict. Jurors also heard from teachers, neighbours and psychiatrists who treated Cruz as a child.

The defence case comes after prosecutors spent three weeks detailing how Cruz murdered 17 students and staff members on Valentine’s Day 2018. Jurors heard from grieving family members and toured the school site.

On Friday, a grand jury released its report into the massacre, finding that four Broward County School board officials had neglected their duties on school safety. Governor Ron DeSantis immediately ousted the elected officials.

In October 2021, Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. Jurors will now decide if he is sentenced to death or to life in prison.

Key points

• School letter states Cruz has dreams of killing others and being ‘covered in blood'

• Chilling jailhouse drawings show Cruz saying he wants to ‘go to death row’

• Nikolas Cruz wrote ‘666’ in his own blood on prison cell walls

• Florida jury urged to spare shooter’s life

• Defence says Cruz’s ‘brain is broken’ from mother’s drinking

• Cruz was aggressive from young age, court hears

Cruz bought mother Valentine’s Day flowers after father’s death

21:50 , Rachel Sharp

Finai Browd, who was best friends with Cruz’s adoptive mother Lynda Cruz, told the court that six-year-old Nikolas Cruz wanted to buy his mother Valentine’s Day flowers after his adoptive father Roger died.

Roger died suddenly of a heart attack in August 2004, when Cruz was five.

The following Valentine’s Day, Ms Browd said that Cruz and his younger brother Zachary came to her and her husband Bruce.

“Daddy’s not going to bring Mommy flowers but we want to,” she recalled them telling her. “So we took them to buy [them].”

It was exactly 13 years later on Valentine’s Day 2018 when Cruz murdered 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Video testimony from Lynda’s friend resumes

21:20 , Rachel Sharp

The defence has returned to playing video testimony from Finai Browd.

Ms Browd said she became best friends with Lynda Cruz – Cruz’s adoptive mother – when they both lived in New York in the 1980s. The friends then both moved to Florida with their husbands and lived near each other.

When Roger died, Nikolas and Zachary were sent to a grief support group with other children, she said.

Jurors previously heard in courtroom testimony that Cruz was not given grief counseling until four years after Roger’s death.

Court hears about moment Cruz watched father die: ‘Daddy’s dead'

21:00 , Rachel Sharp

Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz watched his adoptive father die when he was just five years old, running and telling his mother “daddy’s dead”, jurors heard on Monday.

Finai Browd, who was friends with Cruz’s late adoptive mother Lynda Cruz, described the shocking moment that Cruz witnessed his father Roger’s sudden death from a heart attack in 2004.

She told the court that Lynda had told her Roger was in the family’s den with Nikolas and his younger brother Zachary while she was in the kitchen making lunch.

Suddenly, Nikolas – who was almost six at the time – ran past her crying.

When she asked her son if he was upset because his father had yelled at him, Cruz allegedly gave a harrowing response.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Mother’s friend describes moment Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz watched father die

Prosecutor grills expert

20:30 , Rachel Sharp

The prosecution grilled Dr Shameka Stanford about whether she is qualified to administer the tests she carried out on Nikolas Cruz in the aftermath of the shooting.

Dr Stanford, an expert in speech and language, testified that she tested Cruz to determine if he had disorders.

Prosecutors questioned the types of tests she used and whether or not she is qualified to take them – as she is a speech and language pathologist and not a psychologist.

Speech and language expert takes the stand

19:49 , Rachel Sharp

The defence has called Dr Shameka Stanford, an expert in speech and language, as its next witness to the stand after Monday’s lunch break.

The judge told jurors that the defence will return to Finai Browd’s testimony after Dr Stanford appears on the stand (Ms Browd’s testimony is a pre-recorded deposition).

Dr Stanford came onto Cruz’s case in 2019 and has reviewed his education and medical history since then.

She said that when he was three years and five months old, his speech and language performance was at the age of just one year and 11 months.

“He was demonstarting the ability and skills of a two-year-old,” she said.

Despite his diagnosis, she said he was treated by a special needs teacher rather than a speech and language specialist – something she said was “problematic”.

Cruz had trouble eating and communicating, witness says

19:12 , Rachel Sharp

Nikolas Cruz had trouble eating and communicating and wore diapers until he was five years old, according to the second witness called on Monday.

Finai Browd, who was friends with Cruz’s adoptive mother Lynda Cruz, said that his brother Zachary was also able to use a fork before him even though he was younger.

“He wasn’t able to communicate with words,” she said. “He would communicate with gestures, with his hands.. he would point.”

Friend of Cruz’s adoptive mother says he had few friends

18:13 , Rachel Sharp

A friend of Cruz’s adoptive mother described how Nikolas Cruz didn’t have friends as a child and would often be “aggresssive” and throw “tantrums”.

“Children would find it difficult to play with [Cruz] because he was aggressive,” Finai Browd testified.

Ms Browd said that Cruz’s younger brother Zachary had a lot of friends but they “didn’t want to be around” his older brother because of his aggressive tendencies.

Cruz would “throw things” and have tantrums if he didn’t get his own way, she said, saying that it wasn’t like the tantrums other children threw.

“He would kick whatever, the floor, whatever, lay down and scream and cry but not like a normal tantrum a child has,” she said.

Ms Browd said that when Cruz threw tantrums, his mother Lynda Cruz gave him “whatever he wanted”.

“It had to be his way or no way,” she said.

Cruz was “so attached” to his mother – who died three months before the Parkland massacre – and she couldn’t go anywhere without him when he was young.

Friend of Cruz’s adoptive mother says she tried to hide fact he wasn’t biological son

16:59 , Rachel Sharp

Finai Browd was the second witness to testify on Monday morning.

Ms Browd, gave testimony remotely in a video deposition recorded back on 14 July, was friends with Cruz’s late adoptive mother Lynda Cruz.

She told the court that Lynda wanted children but had multiple miscarriages before she adopted Cruz. Lynda and her husband Roger Cruz adopted Cruz as a baby, followed by Cruz’s biological brother Zachary Cruz.

Ms Browd testified that Lynda hid the fact that Nikolas was adopted from both her and Roger’s family.

She also told Nikolas and Zachary how much they looked like her despite not being biologically related.

“She would tell Nikolas that he looked just like her from a young age,” she said.

Lynda also told Zachary that he looked just like Roger, she said.

Cross-examination: Teacher admits Cruz could be ‘aggressive and violent’

16:15 , Rachel Sharp

Under cross-examination, retired teacher Lynn Borden Rodriguez admitted that – despite being smaller than other children – Nikolas Cruz could be “aggressive and violent”.

“He could certainly stand up for himself and become aggressive and violent? [Even though he was small], that didn’t stop him from being aggressive and violent, hitting other kids or teachers?” the prosecutor asked.

Ms Rodriguez confirmed that Cruz – who was in third and fourth grade – was agressive “at times”.

Prosecutors also pointed out that Cruz’s verbal reasoning and non-verbal reasoning skills were in the average range at that time – in a move to push back on the defence’s argument that he had developmental, behavioural and psychological difficulties.

Teacher says Cruz was bullied by brother

15:45 , Rachel Sharp

Lynn Borden Rodriguez, a teacher who taught Cruz when he was in third and fourth grade, told the court on Monday morning that he was bullied by his brother Zachary Cruz.

Ms Rodriguez, a retired Broward County schoolteacher, said she was aware of the mass shooter being “bullied in the home” and potentially on the school bus.

When asked to clarify who was doing the bullying, she said: “Zach bullying Nik.”

Zachary shares the same biological mother as Cruz and was also adopted by Lynda and Roger Cruz, growing up in the same home as his brother. He is expected to testify in his brother’s defence.

First witness of the day: Teacher Lynn Borden Rodriguez

15:15 , Rachel Sharp

The defence called Lynn Borden Rodriguez as its first witness on Monday morning.

Ms Rodriguez, a retired Broward County schoolteacher, was subpoenaed by the defence to appear in court.

She taught Cruz for part of third grade and fourth grade when she said he was moved into her class with emotional, behavioural and language difficulties.

As a child, she said he was “quiet, aloof, didn’t blend in well with other students” and was often “anxious”.

Academically, she said that Cruz was “below level” in all areas.

She said she found Cruz’s adopted mother Lynda Cruz “receptive” to her suggestions around his needs, including “getting help” following the death of his adopted father Roger Cruz when he was five.

Ron DeSantis ousts four elected school board members over damning Parkland report

14:41 , Rachel Sharp

Governor Ron DeSantis has ousted four elected members of a school board in Florida over a damning grand jury report into the Valentine’s Day 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

The governor filed an executive order on Friday suspending Patricia Good, Donna Korn, Ann Murray and Laurie Rich Levinson from Broward County School Board with immediate effect, accusing them of fraud and mismanagement.

“It is my duty to suspend people from office when there is clear evidence of incompetence, neglect of duty, misfeasance or malfeasance,” he said in a press release announcing the suspensions.

Mr DeSantis said that the move marks a “step towards justice” for the Parkland community and is “in the best interest of the residents and students of Broward County and all citizens of Florida”.

The statewide grand jury released its long-awaited report into the Parkland mass shooting on Friday, finding that the four officials displayed “deceit, malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty and incompetence” in their handling of a campus safety program.

The Independent’s Rachel Sharp has the full story:

Ron DeSantis ousts four elected school board members over Parkland report

Defence to resume its case

14:16 , Rachel Sharp

Nikolas Cruz’s defence is about to resume its case in court in Florida.

The team of public defenders began its case last Monday, as they seek to urge jurors to sentence Cruz to life in prison without parole instead of sentencing him to death.

Last week, jurors heard from the killer’s sister Danielle Woodard who was brought from jail to testify for his defence.

Woodard testified that her brother was “polluted” in the womb by their biological mother Brenda Woodard who she said abused alcohol and drugs while pregnant with Cruz.

Jurors also heard from teachers, neighbours and psychiatrists who treated Cruz as a child as the defence seeks to argue that his actions that day were the culmination of psychological issues and a troubled start in life.

One of the most prominent witnesses expected to be called to the stand in the coming days or weeks is Cruz’s brother Zachary Cruz.

Cruz had dreams of killing people and being covered in blood, trial hears

Friday 26 August 2022 14:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Nikolas Cruz had dreams of killing people and being covered in blood four years before he carried out the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, according to chilling evidence presented in court.

Rachel Sharp reports on today’s revelation.

Nikolas Cruz had dreams about killing people and being covered in blood, trial hears

Cruz’s Chilling jailhouse drawings revealed

Friday 26 August 2022 13:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Chilling jailhouse drawings and notes have revealed Nikolas Cruz saying he wants to “go to death row” and then be “buried with a woman who had a s***ty life like me”.

Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) released a trove of disturbing sketches and ramblings which were scrawled by the mass murderer while he is being held behind bars in Broward County Jail.

In the 30 pages of incoherent ramblings, the 23-year-old has drawn disturbing images of the devil and pictures appearing to depict the Valentine’s Day 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Nikolas Cruz’s chilling jailhouse drawings released

What happened during the Parkland massacre?

Friday 26 August 2022 13:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Almost 70 documented incidents of violence by age 19. Boasts online of being “the next school shooter”. Tips about threatening behaviour ignored by the FBI. Unlocked and unmanned gates at the school. Students and staff left to wander hallways while no active shooter alert was made. A school resource officer who hid from the gunfire for more than 45 minutes.

Nearly everything that could have gone wrong that day did.

Missed warning signs, failings and lessons learned: Nikolas Cruz and Parkland

Cruz’s sister says brother came from ‘polluted womb’

Friday 26 August 2022 12:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Nikolas Cruz’s sister told his sentencing trial that he came from the “polluted womb” of their mother who put her addiction to drugs and alcohol “before anything else”.

Danielle Woodard was the second witness to testify for the defence on Monday as Cruz’s legal team seek to argue that he suffers from foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and other anti-social behavioural disorders caused in part by his mother drinking and taking drugs while pregnant.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Nikolas Cruz’s sister says brother came from ‘polluted womb’

Cruz’s former neighbour acts out how ‘weird’ Parkland shooter ran around house

Friday 26 August 2022 09:15 , Oliver O'Connell

As the defence case for Nikolas Cruz continues in Florida, a former neighbour of the Cruz family took the stand explaining how as a young boy the Parkland shooter had always been regarded as “not right” and a “weird one”.

Cruz is in court for the penalty phase of his trial for the murder of 17 people — 14 students and three teachers — at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the attempted murder of 17 more on 14 February 2018. He pleaded guilty in October 2021.

Steven Schusler was called to testify as he rented a guest house from the Cruz family’s neighbour in Parkland from 2009 until 2015.

With close proximity to the family, he observed various incidents over the years, describing them in detail for the jury, and even acting one out in the middle of the courtroom.

Nikolas Cruz’s former neighbour acts out how he ran around with air gun as a child

School shooter didn’t get consistent treatment, psychologist says

Friday 26 August 2022 07:15 , Oliver O'Connell

A psychologist who treated Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz when he was 8 years old testified Wednesday that Cruz was a “peculiar child” who had many behavioral and developmental issues but his widowed mother seemed overwhelmed and wasn’t consistent in her discipline or in getting him treatment.

Frederick Kravitz said he began treating Cruz in 2007 on a referral from Cruz’s psychiatrist with Lynda Cruz telling him her adopted son suffered from anxiety and nervousness and had trouble controlling his temper.

Psychologist: School shooter didn't get consistent treatment

Nikolas Cruz wrote ‘666’ in his own blood on prison cell walls, photos show

Friday 26 August 2022 05:15 , Oliver O'Connell

Nikolas Cruz wrote “666” in his own blood on the walls of his prison cell just two months before the start of his sentencing trial, a disturbing photo has revealed.

The chilling image depicts Satanic images including “666” and the inverted pentagram all scrawled in the mass murderer’s own blood on a cell wall inside Broward County Jail.

Nikolas Cruz wrote ‘666’ in his own blood on prison cell walls

Jury shown childhood pictures of Parkland school shooter

Friday 26 August 2022 01:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Childhood photos of Nikolas Cruz posing with his family were displayed in court amid the sentencing trial for the Florida school shooter

The trial has revealed how Cruz’s childhood experiences led him to become isolated and insecure.

Arguments by defence attorneys began on Tuesday by building on testimony that cocaine and alcohol abuse by Cruz’s birth mother when she was pregnant had left him severely brain damaged.

They argued this had put him on a road that led to him murdering 14 students and three staff members at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on 14 February 2018.

Lawyers also delved into the shooter’s childhood after photos of his younger self posing with the family and going to pre-school were shown.

Stuti Mishra reports.

Childhood pictures of Parkland school killer Nikolas Cruz shown to jury

What are fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and does the Parkland shooter have one?

Friday 26 August 2022 00:15 , Oliver O'Connell

At the centre of the defence’s case asking jurors to spare Cruz’s life is their argument that birth defects, anti-social behaviour disorders and a troubled upbringing all contributed to him carrying out what remains one of the worst mass shootings in US history.

On Monday, the defence argued that he suffers from fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) caused by his biological mother abusing alcohol and drugs while pregnant.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Nikolas Cruz: What are fetal alcohol spectrum disorders?

Who is the Parkland shooter’s brother, Zachary Cruz?

Thursday 25 August 2022 21:45 , Oliver O'Connell

The brother of Parkland mass shooter Nikolas Cruz is believed to be starring in a reality show about his life and was previously charged with trespassing at the school where his brother murdered 17 innocent people.

Zachary Cruz, 22, is expected to testify for the defence in Cruz’s sentencing trial, where a jury will decide whether to give him to life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

Zacharay, who is 14 months younger than his 23-year-old murderer brother, has stood by Cruz ever since he carried out one of the deadliest school shootings in US history.

Who is Zachary Cruz? Parkland shooter’s brother to testify at trial

Who was the Parkland shooter’s biological mother Brenda Woodard?

Thursday 25 August 2022 20:45 , Oliver O'Connell

At the centre of the defence case is the argument that Cruz is mentally ill and that his troubled origins are to blame for his actions – which saw him lay siege to his former school with a legally-purchased AR-15 style semi-automatic rifle in one of the deadliest mass shootings in American history.

During opening statements and testimony from the first defence witnesses called to the stand, much of the blame for his troubled start in life was placed squarely on the shoulders of his biological mother Brenda Woodard.

Lead public defender Melisa McNeill told jurors that while “there is no defence for this crime” and Cruz is the “one person responsible for all the pain and suffering”, the “choices” Woodard made when she “poisoned him in the womb” led to the “choices” her son made back on 14 February 2018.

Who was the Parkland shooter’s mother Brenda Woodard?

Cruz’s team argues his brain is ‘irretrievably broken’ because of mother’s drinking

Thursday 25 August 2022 19:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Nikolas Cruz’s defence team said that his brain is “irretrievably broken” because of his biological mother’s drinking and drug-taking while pregnant, as they urged jurors not to sentence the Parkland mass shooter to death.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Nikolas Cruz team says his brain is ‘irretrievably broken’ as he fights death penalty

Cruz has been in contact with Sandy Hook victim’s mother

Thursday 25 August 2022 17:45 , Oliver O'Connell

Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz has been in contact with the mother of a Sandy Hook victim, the defence has told his sentencing trial.

Public defender Melisa McNeill said during her opening statement that Cruz had been in touch with Scarlett Lewis. Her son Jesse, 6, was killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on 14 December 2012, when 20 children and six staff members were murdered.

Cruz has been convicted of killing 17 people and injuring 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on 14 February 2018.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Nickolas Cruz has been communicating with mother of Sandy Hook victim

Court adjourns until Monday

Thursday 25 August 2022 17:10 , Oliver O'Connell

Judge Scherer dismisses the jury until 9am on Monday.

The court is adjourned until then.

School letter states Cruz has dreams of killing others and being ‘covered in blood'

Thursday 25 August 2022 17:02 , Oliver O'Connell

A 5 June 2014 letter is shown to the court that was sent to Dr Negin by a therapist at Cruz’s school at the time, West Glades Middle School in Broward County.

The letter states that it is written with the consent of Lynda Cruz and lists some of the behavioural problems Cruz continues to display at school and at home.

He is described as “very irritable and reactive”, displaying “oppositional and defiant behaviours and has become verbally aggressive in the classroom”. Further, Cruz appears to be paranoid and blames others for his problems and has a preoccupation with guns and the military.

At home, it states, he continues to be aggressive and destructive with minimal provocation, smashing a television after losing a game, and playing with a hatchet in the backyard. He also punches holes in the walls and cuts up upholstery.

“Per recent information shared in school he dreams of killing others and is covered in blood,” the letter chillingly states.

The letter closes by saying the purpose of informing the doctor was to reassess Cruz’s medication management over the summer break.

Dr Negin said several times that he never received the letter.

Thursday 25 August 2022 16:02 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Negin diagnosed Cruz with Disruptive Behaviour Disorder citing his difficulty interacting with peers and his irritability.

“His social skills as a whole were impaired,” Dr Negin told the court.

During the time in which Dr Negin treated Cruz, he returned to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as a student after a period at Cross Creek School.

Witness: Dr Brett Negin

Thursday 25 August 2022 15:36 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Brett Negin takes the stand and is also a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist who treated Cruz from January 2012 to August 2017.

He will also be referring to his medical notes throughout the questioning by defence counsel.

The Cruz family began seeing Dr Negin after they switched insurance provider.

Thursday 25 August 2022 15:03 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Karpf is reviewing her notes on what medications Cruz was on for his ADHD as a child. When he began to see her he was being treated with Focalin and Strattera.

Her notes include detailed accounts of times Cruz was aggressive in school and at home and acted out — including incidents in which he hit another child with a lunchbox, cursed at a teacher, threw a math book in the pool, and took apart a mailbox.

Dr Karpf appears to have been in close contact with Lynda Cruz, documenting behaviour, adjusting medication appropriately, and getting feedback from Ms Cruz about his actions.

Over time other medications were added, including Intuniv, and the Strattera treatment was discontinued.

Asked how she could tell whether a child was taking their medication, she replies that you have to use your best guess and trust what the parent tells you.

Thursday 25 August 2022 14:47 , Oliver O'Connell

Recalling a conversation with Lynda Cruz prior to her first session with Nikolas, Dr Karpf recalls her concerns about sibling rivalry, anxiety, irritability, low frustration threshold, tantrums, and some aggressive behaviour.

She recalls Ms Cruz as a “good woman” who was doing her best as a widow with two sons who had special needs.

“She was a good woman,” said Dr Karpf. “She tried to be a good mom to her two kids. She had her hands full.”

Witness: Dr Laurie Karpf

Thursday 25 August 2022 14:39 , Oliver O'Connell

The defence calls its first witness of the day, Dr Laurie Karpf, a psychiatrist specialising in children and adolescents.

She treated Cruz from July 2008 until December 2011, from when he was aged nine until he was about thirteen years old.

She is answering questions from Assistant Public Defender Tamara Curtis.

Cruz wrote ‘666’ in his own blood on prison cell walls

Thursday 25 August 2022 12:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Nikolas Cruz wrote “666” in his own blood on the walls of his prison cell just two months before the start of his sentencing trial, a disturbing photo has revealed.

The chilling image depicts Satanic images including “666” and the inverted pentagram all scrawled in the mass murderer’s own blood on a cell wall inside Broward County Jail.

Broward Sheriff’s Office (BSO) released the image among a trove of disturbing jailhouse drawings and notes made by the 23-year-old behind bars, as he awaits sentencing for the 2018 mass murder of 17 innocent victims.

Rachael Sharp has the story.

Nikolas Cruz wrote ‘666’ in his own blood on prison cell walls

ICYMI: Jury shown childhood pictures of Parkland shooter

Thursday 25 August 2022 11:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Childhood photos of Nikolas Cruz posing with his family were displayed in court amid the sentencing trial for the Florida school shooter

The trial has revealed how Cruz’s childhood experiences led him to become isolated and insecure.

Arguments by defence attorneys began on Tuesday by building on testimony that cocaine and alcohol abuse by Cruz’s birth mother when she was pregnant had left him severely brain damaged.

They argued this had put him on a road that led to him murdering 14 students and three staff members at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on 14 February 2018.

Stuti Mishra reports.

Childhood pictures of Parkland school killer Nikolas Cruz shown to jury

What happened during the Parkland massacre?

Thursday 25 August 2022 10:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Almost 70 documented incidents of violence by age 19. Boasts online of being “the next school shooter”. Tips about threatening behaviour ignored by the FBI. Unlocked and unmanned gates at the school. Students and staff left to wander hallways while no active shooter alert was made. A school resource officer who hid from the gunfire for more than 45 minutes.

Nearly everything that could have gone wrong that day did.

Missed warning signs, failings and lessons learned: Nikolas Cruz and Parkland

What are fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and does the Parkland shooter have one?

Thursday 25 August 2022 09:00 , Oliver O'Connell

At the centre of the defence’s case asking jurors to spare Nikolas Cruz’s life is their argument that birth defects, anti-social behaviour disorders and a troubled upbringing all contributed to him carrying out what remains one of the worst mass shootings in US history.

On Monday, the defence argued that he suffers from fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) caused by his biological mother abusing alcohol and drugs while pregnant.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Nikolas Cruz: What are fetal alcohol spectrum disorders?

Who is Parkland shooter’s brother Zachary Cruz?

Thursday 25 August 2022 06:00 , Oliver O'Connell

The brother of Parkland mass shooter Nikolas Cruz is believed to be starring in a reality show about his life and was previously charged with trespassing at the school where his brother murdered 17 innocent people.

Zachary Cruz, 22, is expected to testify for the defence in Cruz’s sentencing trial, where a jury will decide whether to give him to life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty.

Zacharay, who is 14 months younger than his 23-year-old murderer brother, has stood by Cruz ever since he carried out one of the deadliest school shootings in US history.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Who is Zachary Cruz? Parkland shooter’s brother to testify at trial

Florida school shooter was intellectually slow, teacher testifies

Thursday 25 August 2022 05:26 , Alisha Rahaman Sarkar

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 neighbour have testified.

Anne Fischer, who ran the daycare centre that Cruz attended from about age one, said he did not progress as fast as other children and was smaller.

She said while the other toddlers could ask for their water cups and use a spoon, Cruz could not. She said he would fall down when he tried to run and his head and ears seemed disproportional to his body.

“He isolated himself a lot. He would sit in the corner and observe,” Ms Fischer said.

“Because of his language delays, it was easier to use your hands because you didn’t have the words to express yourself.”

Who was the Parkland shooter’s biological mother Brenda Woodard?

Thursday 25 August 2022 04:00 , Oliver O'Connell

During opening statements and testimony from the first defence witnesses called to the stand, much of the blame for his troubled start in life was placed squarely on the shoulders of his biological mother Brenda Woodard.

Lead public defender Melisa McNeill told jurors that while “there is no defence for this crime” and Cruz is the “one person responsible for all the pain and suffering”, the “choices” Woodard made when she “poisoned him in the womb” led to the “choices” her son made back on 14 February 2018.

Who was the Parkland shooter’s mother Brenda Woodard?

Nikolas Cruz came from ‘polluted womb’, says sister

Thursday 25 August 2022 03:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Nikolas Cruz’s sister told his sentencing trial that he came from the “polluted womb” of their mother who put her addiction to drugs and alcohol “before anything else”.

Danielle Woodard was the second witness to testify for the defence on Monday as Cruz’s legal team seek to argue that he suffers from foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) and other anti-social behavioural disorders caused in part by his mother drinking and taking drugs while pregnant.

Rachel Sharp reports.

Nikolas Cruz’s sister says brother came from ‘polluted womb’

Nikolas Cruz’s brain is ‘irretrievably broken’ because of mother’s drinking, says defence team

Thursday 25 August 2022 02:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Nikolas Cruz’s defence team said that his brain is “irretrievably broken” because of his biological mother’s drinking and drug-taking while pregnant, as they urged jurors not to sentence the Parkland mass shooter to death.

Attorneys for Cruz delivered opening statements in his defence on Monday morning, as they began their case at his sentencing trial in Broward County, Florida.

Lead public defender Melisa McNeill acknowledged that “there is no defence for this crime” and that Cruz is the “one person responsible for all the pain and suffering” caused by the massacre at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day 2018.

But, while it was him who “viciously murdered 17 people”, Ms McNeill said that the “choices” he made that day all began with the “choices” made by his biological mother Brenda Woodard when she “poisoned him in the womb”.

“His brain is broken. He is a damaged human being,” she said.

Nikolas Cruz team says his brain is ‘irretrievably broken’ as he fights death penalty

Cruz has been in contact with Sandy Hook victim’s mother

Thursday 25 August 2022 01:00 , Oliver O'Connell

Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz has been in contact with the mother of a Sandy Hook victim, the defence has told his sentencing trial.

Public defender Melisa McNeill said during her opening statement that Cruz had been in touch with Scarlett Lewis. Her son Jesse, 6, was killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, on 14 December 2012, when 20 children and six staff members were murdered.

Gustaf Kilander reports.

Nickolas Cruz has been communicating with mother of Sandy Hook victim

Former neighbour acts out how ‘weird’ Parkland shooter ran around house with air gun as a child

Wednesday 24 August 2022 22:00 , Oliver O'Connell

As the defence case for Nikolas Cruz continues in Florida, a former neighbour of the Cruz family took the stand explaining how as a young boy the Parkland shooter had always been regarded as “not right” and a “weird one”.

Cruz is in court for the penalty phase of his trial for the murder of 17 people — 14 students and three teachers — at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and the attempted murder of 17 more on 14 February 2018. He pleaded guilty in October 2021.

Steven Schusler was called to testify as he rented a guest house from the Cruz family’s neighbour in Parkland from 2009 until 2015.

With close proximity to the family, he observed various incidents over the years, describing them in detail for the jury, and even acting one out in the middle of the courtroom.

Nikolas Cruz’s former neighbour acts out how he ran around with air gun as a child

Parkland shooter didn’t get consistent treatment, says psychologist

Wednesday 24 August 2022 21:00 , Oliver O'Connell

A psychologist who treated Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz when he was 8 years old testified Wednesday that Cruz was a “peculiar child” who had many behavioral and developmental issues but his widowed mother seemed overwhelmed and wasn’t consistent in her discipline or in getting him treatment.

Psychologist: School shooter didn't get consistent treatment

Wednesday 24 August 2022 20:30 , Oliver O'Connell

The jury is hearing in extensive detail the diagnosis and counselling provided to both Nikolas and his brother Zachary to deal with their physical and verbal aggression towards each other.

Ms Harvey is explaining the identification of goals and coping skills to manage Cruz’s fears as a child. He had “excessive” fears at night that something could happen to his mother.

When questioned about this, Ms Harvey speculates that this may have developed following the loss of his father at such a young age.

Witness: Caridad Harvey (previously Lancho)

Wednesday 24 August 2022 20:08 , Oliver O'Connell

The next witness is mental health counsellor Caridad Harvey, who used to work for Henderson Behavioural Health, a non-profit mental health organisation.

She describes the counselling and treatment that the family received and goes over the associated documentation relating to their relationship with the group.

Wednesday 24 August 2022 19:25 , Oliver O'Connell

A short recess is called before the cross-examination of Mr Schusler continues.

Here is video of his demonstration of Cruz running around the side of the house shooting rocks with an air gun.

Wednesday 24 August 2022 19:14 , Oliver O'Connell

Mr Schusler explains how as the Cruz boys and their friends got older they began hanging around with another boy in a group of about five. He recalls the boys would smoke cigarettes and the new addition to the group was the leader.

Asked why he got in touch with the defence team, he says it was because at the guilty plea hearing Cruz had blamed marijuana use. Mr Schusler said he wanted it to be on record that Cruz’s odd behaviour had been going on for many years.

“This boy did not go bad. He was never right.”

Wednesday 24 August 2022 19:02 , Oliver O'Connell

In another incident, he saw Cruz run around the side of his house with a gun in his left hand, shooting at anything.

Demonstrating to the jury how he saw Cruz run, Mr Schusler staggered across the courtroom with little coordination, waving his arms and miming firing the gun.

He described the run as lurching and flailing like a two-year-old who couldn’t walk yet.

Wednesday 24 August 2022 18:53 , Oliver O'Connell

In the second phase of knowing Nicky, Mr Schusler recalls an incident in which Lynda was about to leave the property in her minivan when Cruz burst out of the house and ran to the car, crying out that she had not kissed him goodbye. She did so and he described her looking “sheepish”.

Mr Schusler also recalls county vehicles, including sheriff’s vehicles, outside the property between 10 and 20 times over the six years he lived there. Once Lynda told him it was because of her older son.

Wednesday 24 August 2022 18:44 , Oliver O'Connell

While Mr Schusler was appalled at a young boy being described as “weird” to his face, he concurs that there was something off about Cruz.

He describes him as looking like Alfred E Neuman of Mad magazine.

Mr Schusler says he remembers Cruz recoiling when being described as “weird”.

Witness: Stephen Schusler

Wednesday 24 August 2022 18:37 , Oliver O'Connell

The court resumed after lunch with a new witness, Steven Schusler, who lived across the street from the Cruz family in Parkland, Florida.

He recalls Lynda and her two sons living together at the time and he resided at a guest house on a neighbouring property between 2009 and 2015.

Breaking up the six years in which he lived nearby, he says there was a period when he met “Nicky”, another period of observation when he was friendly, and a period in which he was cautious of Cruz.

When being introduced to him for the first time, the woman whom he rented from called the two brothers over and said that Nicky was “the weird one”.

Childhood behaviour did not foretell what was to come

Wednesday 24 August 2022 17:30 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Kravitz believes there is nothing about Cruz’s behaviour as a child that could have foretold what would happen at Parkland a decade later.

He said he had worked with other damaged children in the past and none had committed such acts.

Wednesday 24 August 2022 16:29 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Kravitz is asked if there was anything in what he observed in Cruz’s behaviour that would have foretold what would happen at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School ten years later.

He replies, no. He has worked with very damaged children in the past and none of them have acted out in that way.

Cross-examination concludes with Dr Kravitz being asked if he recognised that he is just one of many doctors, professionals, and a parent who tried to get Cruz the help he needed. He replies affirmatively.

Wednesday 24 August 2022 16:23 , Oliver O'Connell

Nikolas’ anger control was a constant issue brought up in the sessions with Dr Kravitz by Lynda Cruz that they were trying to address in the sessions, but with little success.

Dr Kravitz acknowledges that Ms Cruz was in an impossible situation raising two boys with issues alone, following the death of her husband.

He is shown his notes from the sessions in which he recorded that Cruz hit someone at school and recalls suggesting ways in which Cruz could control his anger when it surfaces.

Dr Kravitz says in sessions Cruz would act in an appropriate and social way in their sessions and was not oppositional.

Wednesday 24 August 2022 16:09 , Oliver O'Connell

Cross-examination of Dr Kravitz begins.

He is asked about his knowledge of other treatment Cruz was receiving at the time of his sessions with the doctor in 2007/8.

Dr Kravtiz was aware Cruz was receiving counselling at school and was being treated by a psychiatrist at the time.

He is then asked about payment and insurance around the services he provided.

Wednesday 24 August 2022 15:32 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Kravitz says that he has no doubt that Lynda Cruz loved her two boys and in her mind did everything she could for them.

He also believes she felt embarrassed by their behaviour and judged by other parents.

Nikolas was on a number of medications to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and Dr Kravitz said he also had autistic qualities such as his aversion to eye contact and self-isolation.

He was hyper, aggressive, fearful, withdrawn, and had a “very active bad imagination” which led him to imagine bad things were going to happen. This manifested as a fear that his mother would forget to pick him up from school, much to the confusion of Lynda who always picked him up.

Wednesday 24 August 2022 15:12 , Oliver O'Connell

Dr Kravitz says he felt that Ms Cruz needed help with parenting as she was overwhelmed by being a single mother to two difficult sons now that her husband had passed.

Just as the boys knew how to push each other’s buttons, they also knew how to wind her up. She told him she would lose her cool and felt judged by others.

While Dr Kravitz gave Ms Cruz strategies to practice with Nikolas, he didn’t think they were put into practice at home and that Ms Cruz would too readily give in. He also recalls that Nikolas had problems articulating how he felt and would get frustrated and throw things.

He also thought the sessions he had with the mother and son were too far apart and not consistent enough to be able to change Nikolas’ behaviour.

Dr Kravitz described Nikolas as a “peculiar” child who “stuck out like a sore thumb” compared to other children of his age — he appeared younger.

Witness: Dr Frederick Kravitz

Wednesday 24 August 2022 14:50 , Oliver O'Connell

Court has resumed on Wednesday morning in Fort Lauderdale with a new witness for the defence — Dr Frederick Kravitz.

Dr Kravitz is a retired clinical psychologist with approximately 40 years of experience primarily with families and children.

He treated Nikolas Cruz when he was eight to nine years old in 2007/8 when he was brought in by his mother Lynda Cruz.