FORT LAUDERDALE – Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz struggled academically and behaviorally in middle faculty, laughing uncontrollably and blurting out inappropriate responses in class, destroying a toilet sink and obtaining very low grades, a previous counselor testified Tuesday at his penalty demo for massacring 17 persons.
Jessica Clark Flournoy, who labored with particular schooling learners, testified that when she at first met with Cruz in sixth quality at Westglades Middle University in 2011, he tried out difficult to get good grades, behave and make mates but he struggled. Cruz, who was diagnosed with interest deficit hyperactivity disorder, had hassle concentrating and being arranged, she reported.
Flournoy reported Cruz was incredibly nervous – a little something elementary lecturers also said in before testimony – and feared other students would find he was undertaking poorly. She explained when instructors returned research and tests, he would promptly things the papers into his backpack with no seeking so no a single else would see. He was embarrassed to raise his hand to get help, so Flournoy and his instructors devised a technique wherever he would position a blue take note card on his desk when he wanted guidance.
“He did not have a great deal of self-self confidence in his abilities to do well,” stated Flournoy, who worked with him for 30 to 45 minutes for every week. She mentioned that weighed on him. “He was unhappy about that.”
Cruz, 23, pleaded responsible in October to murdering 14 students and a few staff associates at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas Substantial School on Feb. 14, 2018. The seven-gentleman, 5-woman jury will determine irrespective of whether he is sentenced to loss of life or everyday living without parole. They will have to be unanimous to impose a loss of life sentence.
His general public defenders are in their next 7 days of presenting testimony about Cruz’s troubled everyday living as they consider to clearly show that from his start to a crack-addicted, tough consuming prostitute who put him up for adoption by his childhood he experienced psychological and psychological difficulties that were being in no way adequately dealt with.
They are attempting to overcome the emotional, grotesque and graphic evidence and testimony the prosecution presented over 3 weeks as it laid out the killings and his preparing.
Flournoy, who did not want to testify but was subpoenaed by Cruz’s attorneys, claimed that by eighth grade Cruz experienced these types of behavioral problems, such as breaking the rest room sink, that he was being escorted to his classes and at lunch. She thought he was striving to get kicked out of Westglades and sent to a school for college students with self-discipline difficulties.
She claimed it at some point became obvious to her that Westglades was not the ideal faculty for Cruz due to the fact administrators and instructors experienced utilized all their methods to help him, but almost nothing truly worked.
