Parkland shooting

A Parkland school shooting trial juror said a fellow juror threatened her. Shooter Nikolas Cruz avoided the death penalty, leaving parents shocked.

"I just want him to know that I'm not going to give him the satisfaction of watching me suffer," she said. "The wrong verdict was given out today." "What do we have the death penalty for?" The judge is expected to issue the gunman's formal sentence on November 1 and by law is unable to deviate from the jury's recommendation of life. But several families were insistent that the jury's decision does not deliver them peace. The juror, who ultimately voted against the death penalty, wrote that "some jurors became extremely unhappy once I mentioned that I would vote for life (in prison)." "The State did not call Juror X back and instead, filed a Notice to the Court." When making their decision, jurors weighed the aggravating factors presented by prosecutors against mitigating circumstances laid out by Cruz's defense team, who argued that aspects of his birth and upbringing warranted a lesser punishment. And there was another two that ended up voting the same way," said Thomas. Thursday, a juror wrote a letter to the judge calling the deliberations "tense" and denying an accusation she heard that she had made up her mind to support a life sentence before the trial began. The motion is the latest indication of behind-the-scenes tension among the jury. The state's motion asks Judge Elizabeth Scherer to compel law enforcement officers to interview the juror.

Prosecutors in the case of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz are calling for an investigation after a juror said she felt threatened by another member of ...

"The deliberations were very tense and some jurors became extremely unhappy once I mentioned that I would vote for life," Cunha wrote. Jury foreman Benjamin Thomas told local reporters that three jurors voted for life on the final ballot. The motion calls for law enforcement to interview the unnamed juror after she told the state attorney's office "she perceived to be a threat from a fellow juror while in the jury room." In the end, the jury could not agree that the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating ones, so Cruz will get life without parole. Relatives, along with the students and teachers Cruz wounded, will be given the opportunity to speak. Under Florida law, a death sentence requires a unanimous vote on at least one count.

A father whose teen daughter was killed called the jury's recommendation a "gut punch" for the victims' families.

"I was very disappointed to see that," he said of the jury's verdict. They did not unanimously agree on this, the jurors indicated Thursday on their verdict forms -- meaning Cruz must be sentenced to life in prison and not death. Prosecutors pointed to seven aggravating factors, including that the killings were especially heinous, atrocious or cruel, as well as cold, calculated and premeditated. "This decision today only makes it more likely that the next mass shooting will be attempted." The deliberations became "tense," a juror wrote in a handwritten letter addressed to Judge Scherer. "This shooter did not deserve compassion," he said outside the courtroom, after the jury's findings were read. Because Cruz pleaded guilty to all counts, the trial phase was skipped and the court went directly to the sentencing phase. Cruz's adoptive mother was not open about this with health professionals or educators, preventing him from receiving the appropriate interventions, the defense claimed. My son's not a murderer. What do we have the death penalty for?" Cruz -- flanked by his attorneys, wearing a blue and gray sweater over a collared shirt and eyeglasses -- sat expressionless, looking down at the table in front of him. "I'm disgusted with those jurors," Alyssa's father, Ilan Alhadeff, said.

Prosecutors filed a motion Thursday asking the court to authorize law enforcement to interview a juror in the Parkland case who called them to say she was ...

“I didn’t vote that way, so I’m not happy with how it worked out, but everybody has the right to decide for themselves,” he said. The deliberations were very tense and some jurors became extremely unhappy once I mentioned that I would vote for life.” Thursday and requested to speak with Assistant State Attorney Michael Satz, who led the prosecution team in the case. [Foreman Benjamin Thomas](https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/10/13/parkland-trial-jurors-answer-questions-following-decision-not-to-execute-confessed-gunman/), a gun owner who works in IT, said he voted for the death penalty. [they returned a life in prison verdict ](https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/10/13/day-2-of-verdict-watch-jurors-wait-to-view-parkland-school-shooters-rifle-after-bso-denial/)for the Parkland school shooter. [handwritten letter from juror number 12 was received by the court.](https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/10/13/parkland-school-shooter-verdict-jurors-letter-to-judge-reveals-tense-deliberations/) She recounted a conversation she had with juror 8 in the courthouse parking lot.

The motion calls for law enforcement to interview the unnamed juror after she told the state attorney's office about what “she perceived to be a threat from ...

Scherer said a bailiff told her later that one juror wanted to speak to her during Thursday’s reading of the decision. That means Scherer will sentence Cruz to life without parole at a Nov. They will be allowed to address Cruz at the hearing. That juror sat slumped over during the 50-minute reading but did nothing obvious to indicate he wanted Scherer’s attention. Under Florida law, a death sentence requires a unanimous vote, and jurors decided there was no point in continuing deliberations. Even under that circumstance, prosecutors couldn’t retry the duo for drug trafficking, but did convict them on charges stemming from the bribery.

Prosecutors in the school shooter trial have filed a motion to have law enforcement interview a juror who reported feeling threatened by a peer on the ...

The jury determined there were aggravating factors that could warrant the death penalty for each of the 17 victims — but also found mitigating factors. and requested to speak with Assistant State Attorney Michael Satz, the lead prosecutor in the trial. The jury's verdict Thursday, which was highly anticipated, left family members whose loved ones were massacred by the gunman distraught, some visibly crying and shaking their heads in court.