>>> I’M GIO INSIGNARES IN FOR KRISTI KUEGER. LOCAL 10
>>> WE’RE NOW ON VERDICT WATCH
FOR THE PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTER.
THE JURY STARTED
DELIBERATIONINGS AN HOUR AGO.
>>> THEY WILL DECIDE IF NICHOLAS
CRUZ GETS THE DEATH PENALTY FOR
THE SHOOTING AT MARJORY STONEMAN
DOUGLAS WHERE 17 PEOPLE WERE
KILLED.
CHRISTINA VASQUEZ JOINS US LIVE
FROM THE COURTHOUSE.
>>> AND IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE
THAT THEY HAVE RESPONSIBILITY IN
THEIR HANDS LIKE NO OTHER IN
U.S. HISTORY.
FRIENDLY REMINDER THIS IS THE
DEADLIEST MASS SHOOTING IN OUR
NATION’S HISTORY TO GO BEFORE A
JURY, AND NOW THAT CASE IS IN
THE HANDS OF THAT 12 MEMBER
JURY.
LET’S BREAKS DOWN WHO’S ON THAT
JURY A LITTLE BIT, IT INCLUDES
SEVEN MEN AND FIVE WOMEN.
I’M GOING TO GIVE YOU KNOW A
SNAPSHOT OF THEIR OCCUPATIONS,
THERE’S A UNIVERSITY CLAIMS
ADJUSTOR, A PROBATION OFFICER,
HUMAN RESOURCES WORKER, FORMER
MUSIC INDUSTRY WORKER, A FORMER
FRENCH MILITARY OFFICER AND IF
YOU GO TO OUR WEBSITE YOU CAN
FIND OUT WHAT THE JURORS HAD TO
SAY DURING SELECTION.
WE DID COVER EVERY DAY OF JURY
SELECTION.
SO WHAT IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW
THIS THAT ROOM WHERE THEY ARE
DELIBERATING?
WELL, THE JUDGE READ TO THEM THE
JURY INSTRUCTIONS, THAT’S A
GUIDE TO THEIR DELIBERATIONS.
THEY FIRST NEED TO FIND THAT AT
LEAST ONE AGGRAVATING FACTOR
EXISTS UNANIMOUSLY BEFORE
THEY’RE EVEN PERMITTED TO MOVE
TO A CONSIDERATION OF LIFE OR
DEATH.
AGGRAVATING FACTORS, YOU MAY
REMEMBER THESE TERMS, THEY COME
FROM STATE STATUTE, EXAMPLES
INCLUDE THINGS LIKE COLD AND
PREMEDITATED AND IN THESE 17
COUNTS, ALL OF THE STUDENTS
THERE ARE FIVE AGGRAVATING
FACTORS THAT THEY CAN CONSIDER
AND AGAIN THE PARKLAND SCHOOL
SHOOTER PLEADING GUILTY TO
KILLING 17 STUDENTS AND STAFF ON
VALENTINE’S DAY 2017.
SO LET’S SAY THEY GET TO A POINT
WHERE THEY UNANIMOUSLY DECIDE
YES AN AGGRAVATING FACTOR
EXISTS, THE STATE HAS PROVEN
THAT BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT,
THAT’S WHEN THEY ARE PERMITTED
TO MOVE INTO CONSIDERING WHAT
ARE CALLED MITIGATING
CIRCUMSTANCES.
ANOTHER WAY TO THINK ABOUT THAT
TERM IS REASONS FOR LIFE.
SO YOU’LL REMEMBER DURING THE
DEFENSE CASE THEY PRESENTED TO
THE JURORS WHAT THEY CALLED
REASONS FOR LIFE, FOCUSED ON THE
THINGS THAT SHAPED THE PARKLAND
SCHOOL SHOOTER.
EVERYTHING FROM THIS DIAGNOSIS
OF FETAL ALCOHOL SPECTRUM
DISORDER TO WHAT THEY SAID WERE
TRAUMATIC EVENTS IN THE IS THE I
PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTER’S LIFE,
FOR INSTANCE HIS FATHER DYING,
HIS ADOPTIVE MOTHER DYING
SHORTLY BEFORE THE SHOOTING.
SO I AM GOING TO GIVE YOU’VE THE
EXPERIENCE OF BEING A JUROR IN
THIS OCCASION AND YOU ARE GOING
TO LISTEN IN TO WHAT THE JUDGE
TOLD THEM THIS MORNING, A
SNAPSHOT OF THESE TWO LEGAL
CONCEPTS.
YOU’RE FIRST GOING TO HEAR ONE
OF THE AGGRAVATING FACTORS THAT
THEY CAN CONSIDER, HEINOUS,
ATROCIOUS AND CRUEL AND THEN
YOU’LL GET A SNAPSHOT OF ONE OF
THE 40 REASONS FOR LIFE THAT
THEY ARE WILLED TO CONSIDER
AGAIN ONCE THEY HAVE UNANIMOUSLY
ARE DECIDED AN AGGRAVATING
FACTOR EXISTS AND THE
INSTRUCTIONS THE JUDGE GAVE
THEM.
>> UNNECESSARILY TORTUROUS TO
VICTIMS LUKE, MARTIN AND GINA,
ALEXANDER, ELENA, NICHOLAS,
HELENA URGE CARMEN, ERIC, SCOTT,
MEADOW, CAROL, JOAQUIN, JAMIE,
AND PETER WANG.
AMONG THE MITIGATING
CIRCUMSTANCES YOU MAY CONSIDER
ARE THE FOLLOWING: NIKOLAS CRUZ
IS A HUMAN BEING.
NIKOLAS CRUZ HAS NEURAL
DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER
ASSOCIATED WITH PRENATAL ALCOHOL
EXPOSURE.
THREE NICHOLAS CRUZ AS ALCOHOL
RELATED NEURAL DEVELOPMENT IT
WILL DISORDER.
FOUR NIKOLAS CRUZ WAS NOT
CORRECTLY DIAGNOSED AS A CHILD
AND DID NOT THEREFORE RECEIVE
THE APPROPRIATE INTERVENTIONS AT
VARIOUS STAGES OF HIS LIFE.
NICHOLAS CRUZ WAS EXPOSED TO
ALCOHOL IN UTERO.
EACH INDIVIDUAL JUROR JUST
DECIDE WHAT WEIGHT MUST BE GIVEN
TO A PARTICULAR OR CIRCUMSTANCE.
YOUR DECISION MUST NOT BE BASED
UPON THE FACT THAT YOU FEEL
SORRY FOR ANYONE OR THAT THAT
YOU ARE ANGRY FOR ANYONE.
ALL OF US DEPEND UPON YOU TO
MAKE A WISE AND LEGAL DECISION.
>> AND IMPORTANT TO NOTE THE
JUDGE STRESSING THERE THIS IS A
WEIGHING PROCESS, THIS IS NOT A
CHECK LIST, WELL, BOOM BOOM
BOOM, THERE’S X AMOUNT OF
AGGRAVATING CIRCUMSTANCES AND
BOOM BOOM, THESE ARE THE REASONS
FOR LIFE.
NO THE IDEA IS THEY ARE WEIGHING
ALL OF THE EVIDENCE AND WHAT
PEELS OF EVIDENCE MAY OUT WEIGH
FOR THEM ON A PERSONAL LEVEL THE
OTHER EVIDENCE.
THIS IS WHY YOU HEARD THE STATE
USE THE TERM SAYING THIS
AGGRAVATING CIRCUMSTANCE IS
HEAVY, HE USED THAT WORD HE HAVE
BECAUSE HE’S TRIGGERING THAT
IDEA OF THE WAIT WEIGHT, SHOULD
THEY BE GIVING THAT MORE WEIGHT
THAN THE REASONS FOR LIFE.
THAT’S WHY YOUR YOU HEARD THE
DEFENSE STRESS THIS IS A MORAL
DECISION, THEY HAVE TO DECIDE
DOES THE REASONS FOR ONE
OVERCOME OR OUTWEIGH WHAT WILL
THE STATE HAS PRESENTED.
SO THAT IS WHAT THE JURORS IN
THIS CASE WILL BE DECIDING AND
THIS IS JUST ONE VERDICT, COUNT
ONE, MULTIPLE PAGES AND THEY
WILL HAVE 17 OF THESE THAT THEY
NEED TO FILL OUT.
AT THE END OF THE DAY AGAIN 17
COUNT CAPITAL CASE AND THEY WILL
HAVE TO BE UNANIMOUS IN THE
RECOMMENDING DEATH AND THAT’S
PER COUNT.
AS FOR THE ALTERNATES IN THIS
CASE WHICH INTERESTINGLY DID NOT
KNOW THEY WERE ALTERNATES UNTIL
THIS MORNING, THE SHE KEPT THEM
IN ALPHABET CALLAL ORDER THEY
WERE ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT THE
SUITCASES THAT WERE BROUGHT WITH
THEM AND THEY WERE ESCORTED TO
THEIR CARS TO GO HOME BUT THEY
CANNOT TALK ABOUT OR READ ABOUT
THIS CASE.
IF YOU’RE INTERESTED IN THE FULL
JURY INSTRUCTIONS WE HAVE THEM
FOR YOU ON OUR WEBSITE,
LOCAL10.COM.
>>>
LOCAL10.COM. >>> >>> WE’LL BE WAITING AND
WATCHING, AND AS WE SAID WE’RE
ON HAVE BEEN WATCH FOR THE
PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTER SO IS
STAY WITH US ON AIR AND ONLINE
AS WE AWAIT A DECISION FROM THE