>> Kristi: JURY SELECTION RESUMED IN THE PENALTY PHASE TRIAL OF NIKOLAS CRUZ.
>> Jenise: COMES AFTER A TWO
WEEK DELAY.
CHRISTINA VASQUEZ JOINS US FROM
THE COURTHOUSE IN FT. LAUDERDALE
WITH THE LATEST DEVELOPMENT.
>> Reporter: AS OF THIS MORNING
WE ENTERED THE MOST CRUCIAL
ASPECT OF JURY SELECTION IN THIS
PENALTY PHASE BECAUSE WE ARE IN
PHASE TWO.
THIS IS WHEN WE WILL BEGIN
HEARING THE ATTORNEYS BEGINNING
TO INDIVIDUALLY DRILL DOWN EACH
POTENTIAL JUROR AND THEY ARE
LOOKING AT THEIR VIEWS ON THINGS
LIKE THE DEATH PENALTY.
SO ALL THE POTENTIAL JURORS WE
WILL BE HEARING FROM, THESE ARE
FOLKS THAT CLEARED THAT PHASE
ONE OF HARDSHIPS, RIGHT.
THEY TOLD THE COURT THAT, YES, I
COULD SERVE AND LISTEN TO TRIAL
TESTIMONY THAT IS EXPECTED TO
RUN BETWEEN MIDJUNE AND NOW
POSSIBLY LATE SEPTEMBER, EARLY
OCTOBER.
THEY WERE GIVEN A JURY
QUESTIONNAIRE.
YOU MAY REMEMBER THE
QUESTIONNAIRE CUES UP THE ISSUES
FOR THE ATTORNEYS AND REALLY A
STARTING POINT.
THEY ARE BRINGING IN IN GROUPS
OF TEN IS THE PLAN, STARTING
TODAY.
AND IT IS GOING TO BE ONE AT A
TIME, THOUGH, WHEN IT COMES TO
THAT INDIVIDUAL QUESTIONING.
AND YOU WILL HEAR FROM THE
PROSECUTION AND THE DEFENSE THAT
SORT OF START WITH WHAT THAT
PERSON SAYS ABOUT, LET’S SAY,
THE DEATH PENALTY AND THEIR
VIEWS ON IT AND TAKE IT FROM
THERE.
OF COURSE THE REASON WHY THIS IS
SO IMPORTANT IS WITH GUILT
ALREADY ESTABLISHED IN THIS
CASE, WHEN NIKOLAS CRUZ PLED
GUILTY TO THOSE 17 FIRST-DEGREE
MURDER CHARGES FOR SHOOTING AND
KILLING 17 MARJORY STONEMAN
DOUGLAS STAFF AND STUDENTS ON
VALENTINE’S DAY 2018, THIS JURY
WILL ASK IF THEY COULD BE FAIR
AND IMPARTIAL WHEN IT COMES TO
SENTENCING.
AT THE END OF THE DAY, THEY WILL
HAVE TO TAKE THOSE AGGRAVATING
FACTORS THAT THE STATE NEEDS TO
PROVE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT
AND WEIGH THAT A CONSIDERATION
OF THE MITIGATING CIRCUMSTANCES
AND THAT EVIDENCE THE DEFENSE
WILL PRESENT AND HAVE TO MAKE A
RECOMMENDATION WHETHER OR NOT
THEY WANT TO IMPOSE OR
RECOMMEND.
AND WE ARE GOING TO HEAR THAT
TOGETHER REAL QUICK OF THIS
MORNING.
AND WE WILL HEAR FIRST THE LEAD
PROSECUTOR.
AND THEN YOU WILL LISTEN TO THE
DEFENSE.
AND THEN WE WILL HEAR FROM AN
ANALYST, A JURY CONSULTANT.
>> YOU ARE NOT OPPOSED TO THE
DEATH PENALTY?
>> CORRECT.
>> IF IT WERE UP TO YOU, WOULD
YOU DO THE DEATH PENALTY.
>> I WOULD NOT.
I DON’T THINK ANYBODY HAS THAT
POWER, EXCEPT GOD.
THAT IS WHAT I FEEL.
>> I THINK YOU SAID THAT YOU
THINK THE DEATH PENALTY COULD BE
APPROPRIATE IN CERTAIN
CIRCUMSTANCES, RIGHTS.
>> I SAID I AM NOT OPPOSED.
>> THIS PHASE OF THE JURY
SELECTION PROCESS IS
QUALIFICATION SOUNDS BIT MORBID
AND FOR A JUROR TO MAKE A
DETERMINATION AS TO WHETHER
SOMEONE WHO HAS BEEN FOUND
GUILTY SHOULD RECEIVE LIFE IN
PRISON OR THE DEATH PENALTY.
THEY CAN NOT BE MORALLY OPPOSED
TO THE DEATH PENALTY, MEANING
DEATH PENALTY MUST BE AN OPTION
FOR THAT JUROR.
>> THAT IS WHY THOSE NUISANCES
MATTER.
AND THEY WILL REALLY DRILL DOWN
AND GET A SENSE OF WHAT I MEAN.
THEY ARE REALLY TRYING TO UNPACK
THEIR VIEWS AND WHAT IS AT THE
HEART OF THEIR CORE VALUE
SYSTEM, BELIEFS AND RELIGION
WILL BE PLAYED OUT FOR THE
POTENTIAL JURORS IN OPEN COURT.
IF YOU TAKE WHAT JUST HAPPENED,
WHAT YOU HEARD FROM THAT
POTENTIAL JUROR.
FIRST I WOULD CONSIDER IT AND
THEN I KIND OF FEEL LIKE
SOMETHING THAT GOD SHOULD
CONSIDER.
THAT IS WHY IN THIS HYPOTHETICAL
THAT THE DEFENSE.
IF YOU WERE THE RULER OF YOUR
OWN ISLAND WOULD YOU HAVE THE
DEATH PENALTY.
AND SHE SAID NO.
AS THEY CONTINUED TO ASK
QUESTIONS, SHE GETS TO A POINT
WHERE THE END OF THE DAY, MY
FIRM MORAL SYSTEM IS THAT I WILL
FOLLOW THE LAW AND WHATEVER THAT
LAW IS IN FLORIDA, I WILL
CONSIDER THE AGGRAVATING, WEIGH
HELP THEM AGAINST THE MITIGATING
AND AT THE ENDS OF THE DAY WOULD
FOLLOW THE LAW.
SHE HAS MOVED ON, SO TO SPEAK TO
THE NEXT ROUND.
IF YOU WANT TO USE THAT KIND OF
LANGUAGE.
ANOTHER DAY WHERE SHE IS INVITED
BACK AND YOU TAKE THE SECOND
POTENTIAL JUROR WE HEARD FROM
TODAY.
AND ONE THING SHE SAID PART OF
HER CORE VALUE SYSTEM IS HER
IDEA OF EYE-FOR-AN-EYE WHICH IS
SOME OF YOU ARE FAMILIAR WITH TO
MAKE A LONG MORNING KIND OF
CONDENSED.
PARTIES AFTER HEARING FROM HER
WENT INTO A PRIVATE AND EXCUSED
HER COMPLETELY FROM THIS CASE.
SHE WAS EXCUSED FOR CAUSE.
YOU CAN SEE HOW EVERY WORD AND
THE WAY THAT WORD IS FRAMED
MATTERS IN THIS PROCESS.
AND THAT IS WHY THAT FIRST
POTENTIAL JUROR, THAT WAS HOUR
AND 20 MINUTES GOING FORWARD IN
THE VIEWS.
WE ARE SUPPORTIVE OF THIS
PROCESS AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE
A VERY METICULOUS PROCESS.