FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – For more than four years, family members of the 17 students and staff murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February of 2018 have waited for this day.
Many of those loved ones were in the courtroom on Monday to bear witness to the start of what one father called the final chapter.
“I don’t know if relief is the right word, but relieved to be at the beginning of the end of this part,” said Debra Hixon, widow of Chris Hixon, the athletic director and wrestling coach who was shot by Nikolas Cruz.
THE LATEST NEWS ON NIKOLAS CRUZ’S PENALTY PHASE TRIAL CAN BE VIEWED BY CLICKING HERE.
Broward Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Scherer, who is presiding over the case, told prospective jurors on Day 1 of Cruz’s penalty phase that “this case stems from a school shooting that occurred on Feb. 14, 2018. The matter before us is the criminal case of the state of Florida vs. Nikolas Cruz.”
Monday started the process to find 12 jurors who will decide if Cruz, who pleaded guilty in October to the school shooting, should get life in prison without parole or be sentenced to the death penalty.
Scherer told those in the courtroom that just knowing about the case would not be a reason to be relieved of jury duty.
With guilt already established, jurors will be asked to be fair and impartial when it comes to sentencing.
(6 p.m. report from courthouse)
With the penalty phase expected to last four to six months, the first round of jury selection started with Scherer asking jurors if they would be able to serve on a trial for that amount of time, and if not, why?
Excusable hardships on Monday included being a full-time caregiver and financial considerations.
“I have a special needs young child and I am going through a divorce, so I’m about to be a single mother,” one prospective juror told the judge.
(WATCH ALL OF DAY 1 BELOW)
A grandmother said that she was responsible daily to pick up her grandchildren at school: “Unfortunately with COVID, the parents took jobs that pay less so the affordability of daycare . . .”
Another man said: “My wife is 37 weeks pregnant and my job has already told me they won’t pay me.”
Another woman told the judge she knew the defendant, not personally, but had spent a weekend at a cabin with a group in 2016 and Cruz was invited.
And a private violin instructor said: “I have a very strong opinion and don’t believe in one of the punishments so I don’t think I would be appropriate,” she said.
It will not be until upcoming phases, however, when the defense and prosecution will begin questioning prospective jurors about their death penalty views.
In the courtroom on Monday, the families of the victims included Fred Guttenberg, the father of murder victim Jaime Guttenberg, the parents of Nicholas Dworet and Luke Hoyer’s mother.
“Sometimes prospective jurors say things that are inappropriate, and I don’t want them to be offended by that,” Scherer said.
Prosecutor Carolyn McCann responded: “These family members have already had the worst day of their lives and they are prepared to go forward.”
RELATED LINKS
Will it be difficult to find jurors for the life-death decision in Parkland shooter case?
Parkland shooter’s disturbing social media posts
Timeline of shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
The state vs. the defense: Two different points of view in Parkland shooter case
Interactive graphic: The victims and the crime