Fort Lauderdale (CBS MIAMI) – Defense attorneys for convicted Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz are asking a judge to delay his sentencing trial due to recent mass shootings.
In its filing, attorneys cite the May 24th shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas as one of the reasons for their motion, saying “The devastation resulting from the Uvalde shooting has opened old wounds for the Broward County community and has heightened anxiety for Broward students and parents. It has also fueled gun control advocates, still reeling from the death of 10 people in a mass shooting in Buffalo, New York on May 14, 2022.”
CBS News Miami
The sentencing trial resumed Monday before Judge Elizabeth Scherer, with the defense team asking to only continue with hardship questions. One of the school shooter’s attorneys is in quarantine and is only one of two who has ever tried a death penalty case.
Jury selection is expected to take several more weeks.
Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder for the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018.
