“Juror X spoke to a support staff member and informed the support staff member that during deliberations she received what she perceived to be a threat from a fellow juror while in the jury room,” the filing says. The juror called prosecutors Thursday after the jurors’ decision was read in court, according to a court filing obtained by CNN. The name of that juror was not made public. The only reason we are doing this is that we cannot ignore a safety issue,” the prosecution said. “Frankly, we don’t want to touch this with a ten-foot pole because we know that the defense will be jumping up and down and saying that we are trying to undermine the verdict, which we are not trying to do. Prosecutors in Friday’s hearing called the allegation a “safety issue.” How Nikolas Cruz's defense persuaded a jury to spare his life Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/AP That sentence comes after the jury announced Thursday that it could not unanimously agree that Cruz should be executed. ![]() Cruz will be sentenced to life without parole for the 2018 massacre of 17 people at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office said Friday afternoon it received information from the state attorney’s office regarding the juror’s allegations and will now investigate.Īssistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill, seated with Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz touches her hands to her head as the last of the 17 verdicts were read in the penalty phase of Cruz's trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Thursday, Oct. While CNN interviewed Vanoy Friday afternoon, a court hearing was also taking place after prosecutors asked the judge to compel law enforcement officers to interview a juror who alleged she felt threatened and investigate if a crime was committed.īroward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer said she would not direct the sheriff’s office to investigate the allegation, but added, “if that’s a matter that they feel is appropriate for a criminal investigation, that’s what they should do.” Sheriff’s office investigating juror’s threat allegation 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. Because Cruz pleaded guilty to all counts – 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder – the trial phase was skipped and the court went directly to the sentencing phase. Other jurors also described tension during deliberations, and in an interview, the jury foreman described disagreement among the panel, saying three of the 12 jurors opposed the death penalty in the case.Ĭruz admitted to killing 14 students and three school staff members and injuring 17 others in the Valentine’s Day 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. They had to take us down for over 30 minutes to just give us fresh air so we can move around and separate. “The energy was so heated that we wanted to get out of that room. “I felt disrespected, despite the relationships that we had built,” she added. “I heard comments like, ‘we’re going to let the families down.’” “There were negative sarcastic remarks,” Vanoy said. Vanoy described a hostile environment which arose among the jurors – with whom she said had bonded during the monthslong trial – at the end of deliberations and after their paperwork was filled out. Some victims’ families were enraged by the decision, saying they felt the jury failed them. On Thursday, the jury kept Cruz from getting the death penalty, recommending life in prison without parole by default when it did not unanimously agree Cruz should get capital punishment for the 2018 South Florida killings. ![]() ![]() That never happened,” said Melody Vanoy, who was a juror in the case. “I saw several pieces of evidence where several (experts had) recommended (Cruz) be in a residential facility. Ultimately, she was persuaded to vote for life without parole because she “felt that the system failed” Cruz repeatedly throughout his life, from the schools he attended to mental health professionals who evaluated him. One of the three jurors in the Parkland school massacre case who was against the death penalty for Nikolas Cruz told CNN Friday she did not make her decision until the “very last minute.”
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