>> I HAD TURNED AROUND, I SAW THE SHOOTER WAS STANDING BEHIND ME, I WAS SHOT FOUR TIMES.
>> HE STARTED SHOOTING AT ME, I
LOOK DOWN AND I SEE MY ANKLES
BLOWN OFF TO BITS.
>> WOW, WHAT TESTIMONY, A GUT
WRENCHING WEEK IN THE PENALTY
PHASE TRIAL OF NIKOLAS CRUZ,
CONFESSED MURDER ARER OF 17
SOULS AT MARJORIE STONEMAN
DOUGLAS HIGH, A LITTLE MORE THAN
FOUR YEARS AGO.
>> DURING THIS FIRST WEEK
PROSECUTORS BEGAN LAYING OUT
THEIR CASE OF THE DEATH PENALTY
FOR THAT YOUNG MAN WHO PLEADED
GUILTY.
THIS STANDARD PART OF THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESS IS
ANYTHING BUT STANDARD IN THIS
CASE.
AND WITH US TODAY TO TALK ALL
ABOUT THAT GAY LEVINE A
PROSECUTOR WHO, GREAT TO YOU
HAVE.
>> GALE, WELCOME.
>> THANK YOU.
>> LET ME BEGIN WITH SORT OF A
KIND OF A STRATEGY QUESTION, THE
DEFENSE CHOSE NOT TO DO AN
OPENING STATEMENTED, SO IT HAS
BEEN ALL PROSECUTION THIS WEEK.
AND HAVE I TO SAY, MIKE SATZ,
THE LEAD PROSECUTOR HAS BEEN
RELENTLESS AND EFFECTIVE, YOU
KNOW, I THINK HE HAS PRESENTED.
YOU KNOW, HE PRESENTED JUST
ALMOST AN AIRTIGHT CASE IT LOOKS
LIKE.
YOU KNOW, THAT IT WAS
PREMEDITATED, AND HEINOUS AS HE
SAYS.
IS THE DEFENSE MAKING A MISTAKE?
>> WELL, LET’S SAY THIS WAS A
STATE WEEK, THAT IS WHAT I WOULD
SAY IF I WAS REVIEWING IT OVER
THE WEEKEND.
AND DECIDING WHAT I WAS DOING.
THEY DID A GREAT JOB.
THEY BUILT A BRICK WALL.
THEY’RE BUILDING IT HIGHER AND
HIGHER.
AND IT IS, THEY’RE UP STOPPABLE
RIGHT NOW.
AND I THINK THAT THAT WAS THEIR
STRATEGY, AND THAT IS WHAT THEY
WERE DOING 6789.
>> SO WHY, TO YOUR POINT, GAYLE,
WITH THIS WALL BEING BUILT BRICK
BY BRICK, WHY ISN’T THE DEFENSE
CROSS EXAMINING THE WITNESSES OR
WHY DIDN’T THEY DO AN OPENING
STATEMENT.
WHY ARE THEY ESSENTIALLY
ALLOWING IT TO HAPPEN, BUT FOR A
LOT OF OBJECTIONS TO SOME OF
WHAT IS BEING PRESENTED, WHY?
>> WELL, I THINK THERE IS A LOT
OF STRATEGY TO THAT.
PEOPLE THINK THE LAST THING YOU
HEAR IS THE LAST THING YOU
REMEMBER.
SO THEY’RE HOPEFULLY THINKING
LET US DO OUR STORY AFTER THE
WALL IS MADE.
AND LET’S SEE WHETHER WE CAN GET
THAT WALL KNOCKED DOWN.
THE PROBLEM WITH THAT IS, OF
COURSE, THE STATE HAS REBUTTAL
SO THEY WILL GET THE LAST WORD.
>> YEAH.
>> GAYLE, WE HAVE WATCHED WITH
FASCINATION AND FRANKLY A LITTLE
BIT OF HORROR THIS WEEK, THE
SHOTS OF NIKOLAS CRUZ SITTING IN
COURT, MAINLY WITH HIS HEAD
DOWN, SOMETIMES WITH HIS
FAINGERS OVER HIS EARS NOT TO
HEAR THE AUDIO OF THESE POOR
CHILDREN DYING AND MOANING.
THERE IS A VIDEO THAT WE HAVE
SHOWN IN OUR COVERAGE THIS WEEK.
I MEAN THIS IS JUST BRUTAL
STUFF, AND YOUR HEARTBREAKS FOR
THE PARENTS WHO ARE IN THE COURT
ROOM.
>> SURE.
I CALL THAT LOOK THE MENENDEZ
BROTHERS SWEATER.
HE IS TRYING TO LOOK FORLORN BUT
WHAT HE IS UP AGAINST, AND WHAT
IS BEING DRIVEN HOME, ON THE
VIDEOS THAT ARE NOT BEING SHOWN
TO THE PUBLIC, IS THAT HIS
ACTIONS WERE PIDDLDDPITTLEED,
THAT MEANS HE LACKED PITY, WHEN
HE WENT AFTER MEADOW, LUKE,
PETER, SHOT THEM AS THEY ARE
TRYING TO GET BACK INTO THE
CLASSROOM, AND THEN HE GIVES
THEM CONTACT WOUNDS.
HE’S PITILESS.
>> I WANT TO TALK ABOUT THOSE
FAMILIES.
THAT IS KIND OF WHAT I HAVE BEEN
WATCHING.
YOU WATCH THE GALLERY.
YOU HAVE DONE THOSE CASES.
I HAVE BEEN IN COURT ROOMS WHEN
YOU HAVE DONE THOSE CASES.
WHAT IS IT LIKE AS A PROSECUTOR
TO HAVE TO BUILD THAT CASE.
TO HAVE TO BE VERY CALCULATING
IN WHAT HAPPENED.
THE MEDICAL EXAMINER TESTIMONY,
THE DETAILS OF WHAT THE VICTIMS
WENT THROUGH.
WHAT IS IT LIKE TO DO THAT WHEN
THE FAMILIES ARE RIGHT THERE
WATCHING.
SO THESE FAMILIES ARE NOT
UNKNOWN TO THESE PROSECUTORS.
THEY ARE PART OF THE PROSECUTION
TEAM.
THEY HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED.
THEY HAVE SAT IN THE
PROSECUTOR’S OFFICES.
THEY WANT THE DEATH PENALTY.
>> ACTUALLY, NOT ALL OF THEM DO.
I WAS FIGURING YOU WERE GOING TO
BRING THAT UP.
I JUST WANT TO PUT ON THE RECORD
THAT WE TALKED TO SOME FAMILIES
WHO DON’T.
AND YOU KNOW, THE FAMILIES
AREN’T MONO LITHIC, OBVIOUSLY.
THEY ARE MIXED ON THAT.
>> YEAH, THEY ARE-- A MAJORITY
DO, SO THE ONES THAT ARE THERE,
ARE THE ONES THAT ARE SITTING
THERE LISTENING BECAUSE THEY
WANT TO HEAR.
THEY NEED CLOSE YOU ARE, THEY
NEED TO HEAR T MAYBE SOME OF
THEM HAVE HEARD SOME OF THE
EVIDENCE BEFORE.
MAYBE SOME OF THEM HAVE CHOSEN
NOT TO.
BUT THE PROSECUTOR HAS DONE AN
AMAZING JOB IN NUTS AND BOLTING
WHAT THEY HEAR AND WHAT THEY SEE
AND SHOWING THE JURY EVERYTHING
THEY NEED TO SEE.
THEY HAVE ALSO DONE AN AMAZING
JOB.
THEY HAVE COMFORT ROOMS.
THEY HAVE THERAPY DOGS.
THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO BRING
PSYCHOLOGISTS WHO ARE PEOPLE
THAT ARE COMFORTING TO THEM, TO
GET THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
BECAUSE THIS IS A PROCESS THAT
THE COMMUNITY SEEKS.
THE LAW SAYS THE COMMUNITY MAKES
THE DECISION ABOUT NIKOLAS CRUZ.
>> RIGHT.
>> AND AS YOU LAWYERS WOULD SAY,
THE STYLE OF THE CASE IS THE
STATE OF THROR DA VERSUS NIKOLAS
CRUZ.
I MEAN BUT THEY’RE CERTAINLY
THINKING OF THE FAMILIES OF THE
VICTIMS AND THE VICTIMS
THEMSELVES.
>> ONE THING I WANT TO SAY IS
ANY TIME WE HAD SOMETHING THAT
WAS VERY DEVASTATING TO THE
FAMILY.
A VICTIM COUNSELOR WHICH THE
PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE HAS VERY,
VERY WELL EDUCATED VICTIM
COUNSELORS THAT HAVE GONE
THROUGH THIS PROCESS, THEY HELP
THE VICTIMS OUT OF THE COURT
ROOM AND SAY LISTEN, YOU DON’T
WANT TO HEAR MUCH THIS.
THIS ISN’T SOMETHING THAT WE
DISCUSSED THAT YOU WANT TO HEAR.
>> WE ACTUALLY WATCHED THAT
HAPPEN, YEAH.
>> YEAH.
>> SO I WANT EVERYONE TO KNOW
THAT GAYLE, YOU ARE GOING TO BE
WITH US ALL WEEK, ON DIGITAL,
MORE ANALYSIS FROM THAT