PENALTY TRIAL. >> THANKS FOR ALL YOUR COVERAGE THERE, CHRISTINEA.
WE DO WANT TO CONTINUE OUR OUR
TEAM COVERAGE.
>> Reporter: YEAH, HE WAS IN THE
COURTROOM FOR ALL THE
DEVELOPMENTS AND WHAT CAN YOU
TELL US?
>> EVER SINCE WE MOVED NEXT DOOR
TO WHERE WE WERE SPEAKING WITH
CHRISTINEA.
I GOT TO TELL YOU GUYS BEING IN
THAT COURTROOM WAS VERY
EMOTIONAL BUT THE FAMILIES
THEMSELVES OF THESE VICTIMS FOR
THE MOST PART FROM THE BEGINNING
VERY, VERY STOIC.
VERY CALM.
IT WAS A HIGHLY EMOTIONAL
SITUATION FOR MANY OF THEM.
IT WAS THE FIRST TIME ANY OF
THEM WERE IN THE SAME ROOM AS
THE YOUNG MAN WHO KILLED THEIR
LOVED ONES.
THERE WERE SOME FAMILIES THAT
WERE JOINING IN ON ZOOM.
WE KNOW THAT AL HEDEFFS WERE IN
THE COURTROOM, THE MONTALTOS.
THEY WERE WATCHING ON ZOO.
GUTENBERRYS IN THES THE
SCHACHTERS WATCHING ON ZOOM OF
THE THESE FAMILIES FOR THE MOST
PART STAYING CALM AND COLLECTED.
THERE WERE CERTAINLY SOME TEARS.
THERE WERE A DUMB OF MOMENTS
THOUGH THAT TOOK THEM BY
SURPRISE.
THE FIRST BEING NIKOLAS CRUZ
REQUESTING TO MAKE A STATEMENT.
NOW INITIALLY THE FAMILIES AS
SOON AS THEY HEARD THAT THAT WAS
THE FIRST TIME WE SAW ANY REAL
REACTION FROM THEM, HEADS
SHAKING NO.
SOME GASPS AND AUDIBLE SIGHS AS
WELL.
EVENTUALLY THE JUDGE DID ALLOW
HIM TO MAKE THAT STATEMENT.
TAKE A LISTEN.
>> I AM VERY SORRY FOR WHAT DID
I AND I HAVE TO LIVE WITH IT
EVERY DAY AND IF I WERE TO GET A
SECOND CHANCE I WOULD DO
EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO TRY TO
HELP OTHERS AND I’M DOING THIS
FOR YOU AND I DO NOT CARE IF YOU
DON’T BELIEVE ME.
I LOVE YOU AND I KNOW YOU DON’T
BELIEVE ME BUT I HAVE TO LIVE
WITH THIS EVERY DAY AND IT RINGS
WITH ME NIGHT MAYORS AND I CAN’T
LIVE WITH MYSELF SOMETIMES BUT E
TRY TO PUSH THROUGH BECAUSE I
KNOW WHAT’S WHAT YOU GUYS WOULD
WANT ME TO DO.
>> I HATE DRUGS AND THIS COUNTRY
WOULD DO BETTER IF EVERYBODY
WOULD STOP SMOKE MARIJUANA AND
DOING ALL THESE DRUGS AND
CAUSING RACISM AND VIOLENCE OUT
IN THE STREETS.
I’M SORRY AND I CAN’T EVEN WATCH
TV ANYMORE.
I’M TRYING MY BEST TO MAINTAIN
MY COMPOSURE AND I WANT YOU IT
TO KNOW I’M REALLY SORRY, AND I
HOPE YOU CAN GIVE ME A CHANCE TO
TRY TO HELP OTHERS.
I BELIEVE IT’S YOUR DECISION TO
DECIDE WHERE I GO, WHETHER I
LIVE OR DIE.
NOT JURY.
I BELIEVE THE JURY’S DECISION.
I’M SORRY.
>> AFTER THAT, THE JUDGE HAD TO
EXPLAIN TO HIM HIS ATTORNEYS AS
W8 BASICALLY SAYING, LOOK.
IT IS NOT UP TO THE FAMILIES.
IT’S NOT EVEN UP TO THE JUDGE.
IT WILL BE UP TO THAT JURY THAT
CHRISTINA WAS JUST SPEAKING
ABOUT THAT WILL DECIDE HIS
SENTENCE FROM THE BEGINNING.
HE WAS SITTING INITIALLY WITH
HIS ATTORNEYS ON THE SIDE AND HE
STOOD AT THE PODIUM FOR THE VAST
MAJORITY OF THAT HEARING EVEN AN
ATTORNEY SAT AND SPOKE TALKING
MOMENT BY MOMENT, GOING THROUGH
EVERYTHING NIKOLAS CRUZ DID WHEN
HE WALKED INTO MARJORIE STONEMAN
DOUGLAS THAT DAY IN 2018.
WE ACTUALLY HAVE A CLIP OF THAT.
TAKE A LISTEN.
IT WAS A LITTLE BIT DIFFICULT
FOR A LOT OF THE FAMILIES TO
LISTEN TO.
>> UPON ENTERING THE EAST
DOOFERZ THE 1200 BUILDING,
NIKOLAS CRUZ TURNED RIGHT AND
WALKED INTO THE EAST STAIRWFL
THE 1200 BUILDING.
HE THEN PROCEEDED TO TAKE OUT
HIS RIFLE FROM THE RIFLE BAG AND
LOAD IT WITH ONE OF THE
MAGAZINES.
AS DEFENDANT WAS LOADING THE
MAGAZINE INTO HIS RIFLE A
STUDENT WALKED INTO THE EAST
STAIRWELL AND THE DEFENDANT SAID
TO HIM YOU BETTER GET OUT OF
HERE.
SOMETHING BAD IS ABOUT TO
HAPPEN.
THE DEFENDANT THEN ENTERED THE
STAIR -- THE HALLWAY AT
APPROXIMATELY 2:21:33 AND FIRED
HIS RIFLE AT FOUR STUDENTS WHO
WERE IN THEWAY.
THREE THE STUDENTS WERE IN FRONT
OF CLASS ROM 1215 ON THE SOUTH
SIDE OF THE HALLWAY.
GINA MONTALTO WAS SITTING
OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM OF 12:15
WORKING ON HER COMPUTER.
MARTIN DUCAY AQUINA WORD
STANDING KNOCK ON THE CLASS ROM
DOOR TO GAIN ENTRIES.
ASHLEY BIAS WAS FURTHER WEST
WALKING DOWN THE HALLWAY TOWARDS
THE WEST DOORS.
THE DEFENDANT FIRED HIS RIFLE AT
GINA MONTALDO, MARTIN AND LUKE.
THEY WERE ALL SHOT.
>> AND HE CONTINUED ON THAT
NARRATIVE FOR QUITE SOMETIME
GOING INTO GRANULAR DETAIL
MINUTE BY MINUTE, SHOT BY SHOT,
EVEN SAYING HOW MANY TIMES EACH
ONE OF THOSE VICTIMS WAS SHOT
EVENTUALLY SOME OF THE FAMILIES
I SPOKE WITH SPECIFICALLY GINA’S
PARENTS, TONY HER FATHER TELLING
ME HE WAS NOT EXPECTING THAT
MUCH DETAIL, BUT HE TOLD ME THAT
THE ONE THING HE SAID TO THE
STATE ATTORNEYS WHEN THIS ALL
STARTED WAS THAT THEY SHOULD DO
WHAT HAD TO BE DONE TO GET A
CONVICTION.
NOW OBVIOUSLY, WITH CRUZ
PLEADING GUILTY, HE’S LOOKING
FOR A DEATH SENTENCE AS A LOT OF
THESE FAMILIES ARE, AND WE
ACTUALLY GOT A CHANCE TO ASK
THEM LATER IN THE HALLWAYS WHAT
THEY FOUGHT OF HIS -- HIS
STATEMENT -- THOUGHT OF HIS
STATEMENT.
THEY ALL DID SORT OF SAY THEY
WEREN’T EXPECTING THAT.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT TONY
MONTALTO SAID HE THOUGHT IT WAS
A SELFISH STATEMENT AND HE
HADN’T THOUGHT OF THEIR LOVED
ONES BACK IN 2018 WHEN THEY SAW
IT HAPPEN.
THE FAMILIES FOR THE MOST PART
ALMOST IMPRESSIVELY SO, VERY
CALM AND COLLECTED.
THERE WERE SOME TEARS.
AT ONE POINT FRED GUTENBERG HAD
HIS HEAD HANGING DOWN WIPING
AWAYS AS WELL.
IT WAS A VERY EMOTIONAL TIME FOR
THESE PEOPLE.
SHARING A ROOM FOR THE FIRST
TIME WITH THE PERSON THAT TOOK
AWAY THEIR LOVED ONES MORE THAN
THREE YEARS AGO.
GUYS, BACK TO YOU.
>> I CAN’T IMAGINE THE