FORT LAUDERDALE – Jurors in the sentencing trial of Parkland school gunman Nikolas Cruz heard from more witnesses on Monday.
The first witness of the day was Justin Colton, a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student, who was shot during the February 14th, 2018 massacre.
Colton told jurors he had wounds to his arm and back. He added police showed up about 20 minutes after they took cover. He was transported to a local hospital to be treated.
The jury also heard from two crime scene investigators with the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. One investigator, Miguel Suarez, was tasked with photographing and collecting evidence on the second floor. The other, Sgt. Gloria Crespo, was tasked with photographing and collecting evidence on the third floor as well as one of the stairwells.
Crespo was the investigator who photographed Cruz’s tactical vest, his rifle bag, his AR-15, and the ear plugs he wore to muffle the gunfire. All of the items were held up as evidence in the courtroom to be identified by Crespo.
The state also called Laura Zecchini, the Uber driver who took Cruz to the school on the day of the massacre. She picked him up around 2:06 p.m. Zecchini said Cruz got into her vehicle with a bag that looked like a guitar case. Cruz told her he had music class on campus. She said he spent most of the time during the 13-minute ride on his phone.
Cruz, who pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder last October, is facing life in prison without parole or the death penalty.
A decision on his fate is not expected until the fall.
