Florida lawmakers propose getting rid of unanimous jury recommendations for the death penalty
Florida lawmakers have filed a bill to get rid of a requirement that a jury must be unanimous in order for a convicted criminal to be sentenced to death. If passed, it would allow judges in the state to impose the death penalty if 8 out of 12 jurors agree. The issue has gained momentum after a South Florida jury sentenced Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz to life in prison because 3 of the jurors voted against the death penalty.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd wants more armed people at schools in case of a shooting
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd is advocating that every school have more than one armed person on campus in case an active shooter shows up.
Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz formally sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole
Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz formally received a sentence of life without parole Wednesday after families of his 17 slain victims spent two days berating him as evil, a coward, a monster and a subhuman.
Parkland judge and defense shout during sentencing as victims' families unleash grief, anger on Nikolas Cruz
Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz's sentencing hearing was filled with emotional, angry statements from the families of his victims, but then his defense attorneys objected to what they called "attacks" on the defense and their children. That's when the hearing erupted into a shouting match between the attorneys and the judge.
Parkland shooter trial: $2.5M spent on housing Nikolas Cruz since 2018, sheriff's office says
Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz has been behind bars since February 14, 2018, the day he murdered 17 people. In the 4 and a half years since, the Broward Sheriff's Office says it has cost the agency over $2.5 million to house and supervise the confessed killer. Meanwhile, the state of Florida spent more than $2 million prosecuting Cruz.
Parkland shooter prosecutors ask for investigation after juror said she felt threatened by fellow 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 jury during deliberations that ended with a life sentence for Cruz’s murder of 17 people.
The victims of the 2018 Parkland high school massacre
A jury recommended a sentence of life without parole for the killer in the 2018 shooting massacre that left 17 people dead at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Here are the victims.
Three Parkland shooting trial jurors voted against death penalty, foreperson says
The jury foreman said three of the jurors ultimately voted for life in prison, with one of them being a "hard no" on the death penalty and another two ultimately choosing to vote against it as well.
Jury in Parkland shooting penalty trial recommends life in prison for Nikolas Cruz
Nikolas Cruz will be sentenced to life without parole for the 2018 massacre that killed 17 people at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, after the jury said Thursday that it could not unanimously agree that he should be executed.
‘You deserve the death penalty’: Florida leaders decry life in prison sentence for Nikolas Cruz
Leaders across Florida and loved ones of Parkland shooting victims publicly denounced and expressed anger following the jury's recommendation for a life in prison sentence for Nikolas Cruz, who shot and killed 17 people on Valentine's Day in 2018.
'Stunned, devastated': Parents of Parkland victims react to shooter's life sentence
"What do we have the death penalty for?" one Parkland parent questioned after the jury could not unanimously agree on a death sentence for shooter Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people.
Parkland school shooter trial: With jury deliberating, what comes next?
The jurors in the Parkland school shooting will be voting 17 times — once for each victim. They will decide whether Nikolas Cruz is sentenced to death or life without parole, but for them to recommend a death sentence, they must unanimously agree.
Parkland penalty trial: Jurors begin deliberations nearly three months after sentencing phase began
Nikolas Cruz pled guilty last year to the 2018 attack that killed 17 people in Parkland, Florida, and after a three-month-long trial and hearing all the evidence, it’s time for the jury to make their decision. Should Cruz be sentenced to death or life without parole?
Parkland shooter trial: Prosecutor makes final case for Nikolas Cruz to get the death penalty
The lead prosecutor of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz made his final push Tuesday to persuade jurors to sentence him to death, telling them during his closing argument that the Valentine's Day 2018 attack that killed 17 people was cold, calculated, meticulously planned and deserving of execution.
Parkland school shooter may have been his own worst witness in death penalty trial
It's possible Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz talked himself into a death sentence.
Parkland shooter trial: Nikolas Cruz contemplated school massacre for years
Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz told a prosecution psychiatrist he began contemplating a mass murder during middle school, doing extensive research on earlier killers to learn their methods and mistakes to shape his own plans, video played at his penalty trial showed Monday.
Parkland shooter trial: Judge refuses to step down after defense calls for her to be removed from case
The judge overseeing the penalty trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz refused to step down Monday, rejecting a motion by his attorneys who accused her of being biased against their client and prejudicing the jurors who will decide if he should die for murdering 17 people four years ago.
Parkland shooter's defense files motion to disqualify judge from trial after heated exchange in courtroom
Attorneys for Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz have filed a motion demanding for the judge in his murder case to be disqualified, claiming he will not get a fair trial. The move comes after Judge Elizabeth Scherer berated the defense in court for abruptly resting their case despite only calling 25 of their 80 witnesses — calling it "the most uncalled for, unprofessional way to try a case."
South Florida sheriff accused of lying about killing someone when he was 14, state ethics commission says
The sheriff of Broward County, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, appears to have lied when he didn't disclose in his job application that he fatally shot another teenager when he was 14 and that he had used LSD, the state ethics commission has found. DeSantis appointed Sheriff Gregory Tony after firing Scott Israel in the aftermath of the Parkland school masscre.
Parkland shooter trial: Defense suddenly rests case, leading to shouting match with judge in courtroom
Attorneys for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz abruptly rested their case, triggering a shouting match with the judge after she called the move "the most uncalled for, unprofessional way to try a case."