FL - 17 killed in Stoneman Douglas H.S. shooting, Parkland, 14 Feb 2018 #3 *Arrest*

[kdg411]

IIRC, the settlement was around 175k. Typically, the attorney would take a third, so that would leave around 115k, split between the two boys, so roughly, 58k each. And if the settlement wasn't worded exactly right, it may have been taxable.

After Cruz’s father, Roger, died in 2004, his mother sued the doctors who treated him. The case was settled in 2008 for $175,000. He and his brother were each given a $46,750 annuity, and the remaining $81,500 was split between his mother, her lawyers and other fees.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-florida-school-shooting-lawyers-squabble-20180222-story.html

 

[CARIIS]

Thank you for giving us some insight on what an overwhelming task it is to 'manage' these damaged children.

In reading up on 'managing' these children I came across several tips for parents on keeping them stable.

- punishment is totally different and normal punishment does not work because their brains do not work the same.
Remember one of NC's teachers in middle school made a comment on his report that stated Nikolas does not
understand the results of his behavior- did not comprehend cause and effect. Not a normal brain or thought process.

- Food- Need regular meals at scheduled times. Apparently their bodies and brains are susceptible to things like
low sugar etc. Also they tend to get dehydration easily because they do not realize they need to drink regularly.

- Supervision- These kids need need hands on, round the clock supervision or they will find their own amusements
and get into trouble. They will likely need this supervision for the rest of their lives.

Does anyone else see what an utter impossible human task it would be having a NC in your home? 24/7 care and
attention. I can't imagine what Lynda Cruz went through but it had to be tiring and mentally exhausting to be alone
shackled with this responsibility. And as he grew, it just got worse.

I also think moms age is relevant. Lack of awareness regarding the illiness itself. SYstems wise school peers DCF Mental health etc etc did not know anywhere as much as has been learned about this devastating developmental illness.

The world around them is responding endlessly in ways that exacerbate the entire tragedy.

Its sad all the way around

 

[Spellbound]

Well, it sounds like he had it on book bag (previously reported) and ammunition magazines (recent article).

The symbols on the book bag apparently came during the breakup with a girlfriend. The symbols on the ammunition.... not sure when he did those.

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article200692514.html
Nikolas Cruz had just broken up with his girlfriend, who had been cheating on him, and he’d gotten into a fight with another boy. He’d drawn a “Nazi symbol” on his book bag. And Broward mental health authorities were worried that his chronic depression was worsening.
It was Sept. 28, 2016, and Cruz — .....

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/broward/article200692514.html#storylink=cpy

 

[Wyle_E_Coyote]

After Cruz’s father, Roger, died in 2004, his mother sued the doctors who treated him. The case was settled in 2008 for $175,000. He and his brother were each given a $46,750 annuity, and the remaining $81,500 was split between his mother, her lawyers and other fees.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-florida-school-shooting-lawyers-squabble-20180222-story.html

Thanks, I didn't see those details. So, 23k was invested in an annuity for each child. I'm not any sort of expert in annuities, but I can't believe 23k would generate very much in terms of monthly payout. Maybe a couple hundred on the very high end?

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[enelram]

Thanks, I didn't see those details. So, 23k was invested in an annuity for each child. I'm not any sort of expert in annuities, but I can't believe 23k would generate very much in terms of monthly payout. Maybe a couple hundred on the very high end?

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Actually they each received $46,750, but you're close on the return paid even at that figure- probably $200-250./mo.

 

[enelram]

I also think moms age is relevant. Lack of awareness regarding the illiness itself. SYstems wise school peers DCF Mental health etc etc did not know anywhere as much as has been learned about this devastating developmental illness.

The world around them is responding endlessly in ways that exacerbate the entire tragedy.

Its sad all the way around

Excellent comments CARIIS. Yes her age was very relevant. Her energy level, her physical condition, her mental sharpness, her mental
fatigue at having dealt with these problems for 19 years, her aloneness without a partner, her isolation, her financial
worries- ALL played a part IMO.

 

[x_files]

Probably a lot of factors. She was older and so less physically able to handle two active boys, at least one of which had serious emotional/mental issues. Kids with those kinds of issues can be extremely difficult for any parent to handle, regardless of age. No father. As the kids grew into their teen years, no doubt they became physically stronger than her. At her age, she may have had her own health issues.

It's so easy to blame a child's behavior on a lack of discipline, but I think that's overly simplistic. If a child is unable to control his impulses, or goes into violent rages, due to emotional/mental issues, discipline isn't going to make a bit of difference.

He was in counseling, attended an alternative school, and IIRC, was on meds. The problem is, someone in need of this kind of help has to *want* the help and has to cooperate. I'm sure his mother wasn't able to hold him down and force him to take his meds.

There are no easy answers here, and I'm not willing to blame a dead woman who had to raise a mentally ill child (or two) on her own at an advanced age. She rolled the dice on adoption and lost, and only a couple of years later unexpectedly became a single parent. Had she been fortunate enough to adopt a neuro-typical child, the outcome would have been different, and some other adoptive parent would be in the spotlight.

She did, indeed, raise this monster, but she didn't create him.

Moo and all that.

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agreed, They sound completely out-of-cotrol even for two parents to handle.

 

[x_files]

Oh, yall. I see several people saying this is why she had no friends. Well, that might be true. But, almost everything that was described in the article is stuff I saw on a daily basis. It is part of emotional issues/ mental health/ autism/ disabilities. .... it's not parenting. Was she a perfect parent? No doubt, she was not. None of us are.

But the lock on the food? We had several clients who would literally eat themselves to death or hoard food where it became a health hazard, with critters and mold. We had to get human rights committee to approve locking food, just like that. Holes in the walls? I already told yall, I tried everything to stop the holes including removing to the yard to swing and placing rubber mats on the walls, and still he found a way to punch holes. I don't remember everything else in there. I get that this behavior might sound alarming to lots of people. But, for anyone who has a child with serious behavioral.or mental health issues or worked in the system, we know this is not unusual. It is quite typical.

I am in no way saying shooting a school up is typical. It's all the things that have caused fingers pointed at the dead mom like she was a horrible parent. Most of those behaviors are typical from this population. I am going to try to find some films I used to use in training, so people can understand more clearly what is dealt with by parents and caregivers. It is not easy.

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What's the reason behind locking up food?

 

[Alleykins]

What's the reason behind locking up food?

Well, I have a teen-aged boy. They are food vacuums at times. We've never lock up our food, but our grocery bill is astronomical.
I imagine with two teenagers, theirs was even higher.

 

[x_files]

Well, I have a teen-aged boy. They are food vacuums at times. We've never lock up our food, but our grocery bill is astronomical.
I imagine with two teenagers, theirs was even higher.

gotcha. It seems problematic teenage boys, if hungry would just break the locks then.
Not sure how locking away the food would help.

 

[Tawny]

Locking up food in a home breeds a hostile home environment. It shows a lack of trust and a lack of empathy, it demonstrates a desire to control other people who live in the home. IMO, it's a horrible thing to do to children.

 

[x_files]

Locking up food in a home breeds a hostile home environment. It shows a lack of trust and a lack of empathy, it demonstrates a desire to control other people who live in the home. IMO, it's a horrible thing to do to children.

It definitely makes me think the home is dysfunctional and the parent needs help. CPS thought this was ok?!

 

[kdg411]

I believe they are in the process of confirming the inheritance and determining whether he can pay for legal counsel.

The Sneads said they were going to ‘help him invest’ his first installment of 25K.

Roxy Deschamps who has filed for managing the estate has a previous but non related to Cruz criminal record for fraud. The Snead’s initially defended her regarding the $2900 taken from Cruz claiming it was just ‘common identity theft’ when he moved in.

I don’t know how or if they were able to prove that and at the same time maintain they had no clue about his run ins with LE. If they were in communication with Roxy about the ‘common identity theft’ it seems she would have taken the opportunity to fill them in on the other pressing issues.

(Above all linked upthread)

Do you happen to have a link for BBM above? I`m intrigued. They must have seen legal documentation to make that comment. If those papers were in their home, where are they now? Seems, on the surface, there was more than just that single annuity that the brothers would be inheriting.

Is this the act of someone who has been bullied?

And later in life he was bullied by his younger brother Zachary, with whom he had a tumultuous relationship. Because he was socially awkward and had a hard time making friends, their mother forced Zachary to bring Nikolas along when he was going out.

The 18-year-old distraught brother admitted to the Palm Beach sheriff's deputies that he and his friends often picked on Nikolas, saying he deeply regretted it.

'Zachary wishes that he had been "nicer" to his brother,' the report said.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5433823/Cruz-watched-dad-die-bullied-little-brother.html

No juvenile criminal issues

Cruz was not part of the district’ PROMISE program, in which students committing minor crimes can avoid going to jail.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-florida-school-shooting-runcie-interview-20180226-story.html


Is there any significance to the date (Valentines Day)?

After approximately 3 months of living with the Sneads, would NC have been able to consciously `hide` his mental health deterioration?

Anyone have any thoughts about the above?

 

[Damarna]

Locking up food in a home breeds a hostile home environment. It shows a lack of trust and a lack of empathy, it demonstrates a desire to control other people who live in the home. IMO, it's a horrible thing to do to children.

If NC is really on the spectrum there is a chance the food was locked up so it wasn't eaten all at once. Speaking from only my experience - my nephew is on the autism spectrum but high functioning. To observe him you'd think he was just a quirky guy. Growing up he was a tornado of activity. He ended up on meds that created an evil cycle of zero appetite to ravenous. His dad ended up locking up their food to not only save it from being inhaled at night but, more importantly, to keep my nephew from basically binge eating. They did eventually get his medications regulated (some are mental health related) so the need to keep the food locked up was something of the past.

I'm certainly not saying this is the case with NC at all. I just want to point out that it's not always an issue of neglect or bad parenting. Each situation is very different.

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[Alleykins]

Locking up food is the wrong way to go about sticking to a food budget, but I knew teen aged boys had big appetites before I had kids, thanks to my nephews, so I prepared for that. Feeding kids is part of the cost of being a parent that a lot of people don't get.

However, people have weird issues about and centered on food that have nothing to do with being cruel or hostile. That's my life's observation, anyway.

 

[Swirlz]

I don't know how relevant this is to the conversation but my mom has a friend whose son has a rare condition called Prader Willi Syndrome and if she doesn't lock the fridge, he will literally eat himself to death.

 

[kittythehare]

Do you happen to have a link for BBM above? I`m intrigued. They must have seen legal documentation to make that comment. If those papers were in their home, where are they now? Seems, on the surface, there was more than just that single annuity that the brothers would be inheriting.

Is this the act of someone who has been bullied?



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5433823/Cruz-watched-dad-die-bullied-little-brother.html

No juvenile criminal issues



http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/b...shooting-runcie-interview-20180226-story.html


Is there any significance to the date (Valentines Day)?

After approximately 3 months of living with the Sneads, would NC have been able to consciously `hide` his mental health deterioration?

Anyone have any thoughts about the above?

Several publications referred to the fact that he had been bullied.

His mental state deteriorated significantly following the break-up with what I think was his only girlfriend.
that was when he started cutting himself, he must have been in terrible emotional pain and anguish.
That was when he drew the swastika on his bag too..

at some stage he must have learnt that swastikas are symbolic of evil..

He also tried beating former g/f's new boyfriend..

I imagine the Valentine's day massacre was symbolic of his loss..

I didn't find much information online regarding his former girlfriend and I am not sure whether she attended that school..

It is possible his expulsion, his love, his history of being bullied was, in his fragile broken mind tied to the school that he so desperately tried to attend...... his attention to his grades and the work he did in an attempt to maintain them is almost antithetical to his inability to control his impulses..

I feel so sad for him.. constantly swimming against the tides of academia and a structure that his broken personality and mind could never maintain..

If only a place could have been found for him where he could have thrived.. succeeded in small ways and experienced consistent love and certainty.

It is good to read all the thoughtful and compassionate posts since last night.

I am a little concerned about how well his inheritance is managed and whether it is truly in his best interests?

 

[x_files]

Do you happen to have a link for BBM above? I`m intrigued. They must have seen legal documentation to make that comment. If those papers were in their home, where are they now? Seems, on the surface, there was more than just that single annuity that the brothers would be inheriting.

Is this the act of someone who has been bullied?



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5433823/Cruz-watched-dad-die-bullied-little-brother.html

No juvenile criminal issues



http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-florida-school-shooting-runcie-interview-20180226-story.html


Is there any significance to the date (Valentines Day)?

After approximately 3 months of living with the Sneads, would NC have been able to consciously `hide` his mental health deterioration?

Anyone have any thoughts about the above?

I think Valentine's Day was the day he picked because, he is still angry about his ex-gf and new bf. He feels left out and wronged.

 

[x_files]

Several publications referred to the fact that he had been bullied.

His mental state deteriorated significantly following the break-up with what I think was his only girlfriend.
that was when he started cutting himself, he must have been in terrible emotional pain and anguish.
That was when he drew the swastika on his bag too..

at some stage he must have learnt that swastikas are symbolic of evil..

He also tried beating former g/f's new boyfriend..

I imagine the Valentine's day massacre was symbolic of his loss..

I didn't find much information online regarding his former girlfriend and I am not sure whether she attended that school..

It is possible his expulsion, his love, his history of being bullied was, in his fragile broken mind tied to the school that he so desperately tried to attend...... his attention to his grades and the work he did in an attempt to maintain them is almost antithetical to his inability to control his impulses..

I feel so sad for him.. constantly swimming against the tides of academia and a structure that his broken personality and mind could never maintain..

If only a place could have been found for him where he could have thrived.. succeeded in small ways and experienced consistent love and certainty.

It is good to read all the thoughtful and compassionate posts since last night.

I am a little concerned about how well his inheritance is managed and whether it is truly in his best interests?

Was he aware his mother was an addict?
I dated an adopted man, and his mother constantly told him his birth mother was a "fat, ugly junkie."
She said this in my prescene when I asked about his birth mother. The conversation was brought up and I got to hear it with my own ears. His abusive adoptive mother was extremely jealous of the birth mother and would trash talk her any moment she could.

 

[enelram]

Wonderful, empathetic thoughts Kittythehare,

My hinky meter has been pinging all along when I 'sniff' comments from BOTH temporary homes he was in.

When the Snead's Atty. gave his first presser, he commented "There was no shortage of money with this boy".
He knew NC carried cash and had some income etc. So did the Sneads.

I'm suspect of the Deschamps home due to her past 'experience' w/ LE. And also the missing $2900.

There's no way I will believe NC was 'offered' a home in either place, IMO, unless these adults knew he could pay
his way, food, rent, clothes, etc. Neither home was rolling in money, quite the opposite. I'm convinced they thought
this vulnerable youth may be a cash cow for them. Sorry, for being a skeptic but people just don't take in young man
at a troublesome time in his life and not expect to have problems UNLESS he pays his way and you make something
off of him. Deschamps knew he was a problem child, she saw it as a former neighbor. Sneads claim they knew
nothing about NC. Bull hockey. Their son was a classmate, I''m sure he knew stuff. But Sneads told their atty.
'there was no shortage of money". I just don't buy their stories.