GUILTY FL - 17 killed in Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Parkland, 14 Feb 2018 *shooter Guilty, School officer NG* #5

[BetteDavisEyes]

Parkland school shooter sentenced to life in prison without parole after emotional victims’ statements

Nikolas Cruz, 24, fatally shot 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida in 2018.

www.nbcnews.com

Following dramatic statements from victims and victims' families, a Florida judge formally sentenced Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz to life in prison without parole Wednesday for the 2018 campus massacre that killed 14 students and three staff members.

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer followed the jury’s recommendation to spare the 24-year-old the death penalty, instead sentencing him to a lifetime behind bars. Last month, in a 9-3 vote, a jury leaned toward sending Cruz to death row, but Florida law dictates that anything less than a unanimous vote automatically shifts the sentence to life without parole...

 

[Gardenista]

The judge is mingling with the families and the prosecution. They are all smiling and laughing.

 

[Weki]

Judge is hanging around to speak with families. She also hugged it out with prosecutors. Defense counsel went out the back way following their client.

My last point on this is that I know people are disgusted with the PDs being addressed directly by the families but I feel like this is how it should be in all trials where defense counsel demonstrates a lack of respect and outright contempt for victims’ families. There’s doing your job and there’s the extracurricular. The extracurricular is fair game to being called out! If you give offense, then have some thick skin and be prepared to take it when it comes your way. The extracurricular is not part of your job!

 

[turaj]

Interesting finale...consecutive and it sure seems judge was confused on some...not sure what that was about. She is clearly more involved here than I would expect from a judge of the court but just my opinion. I was surprised that he was not made to stand before the court and that she had no direct words for him. It was as if it all had been said and I guess it had.

 

[SeesSeas]

Parkland Father Throws Up Middle Finger at Defense​

Nov 2, 2022
Joaquin Oliver's father throws up his middle finger at the Parkland murderer's defense. "You need to learn how to do a middle finger. So you don't need to apologize to anyone," Manuel Oliver said.

 

[mpnola]

I have not seen anyone else in the courtroom wearing a mask. Defense team probably advised NC to wear a mask to hide his facial expressions. JMO

I watched the whole trial on a news channel that also had commentary. They said that in a jail call with the lady he talks to, he said he was going to wear a mask in court so they couldnt see him smiling and laughing at their pain, basically. And it was right. He only wore the mask during the states portion and family statements.

 

[rebelchild]

Parkland Father Throws Up Middle Finger at Defense​

Nov 2, 2022
Joaquin Oliver's father throws up his middle finger at the Parkland murderer's defense. "You need to learn how to do a middle finger. So you don't need to apologize to anyone," Manuel Oliver said.

The Parkland Murderer actually had to swallow a big ole' lump in his throat by the time this dad was done with his speech .. I think I actually seen fear in his eyes. It was that good!

 

[SeesSeas]

Judge Slammed for 'Inappropriate' and 'Inexcusably Improper' Decision to Hug Prosecutors at the End of Parkland Shooter's Sentencing

As trial watchers can attest, Judge Elizabeth Scherer has dressed down members of Nikolas Cruz's defense team on numerous occasions.

lawandcrime.com

After the Parkland school shooter was formally sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole for murdering 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, the judge in the case controversially decided to hug members of the prosecution team.
[...]
Florida Code of Judicial Conduct says that a judge “shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety” in all of their activities.

“A judge shall not allow, family, social, political or other relationships to influence the judge’s judicial conduct of judgment. A judge shall not lend the prestige of judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others; nor shall a judge convey or permit others to convey the impression that they are in a special position to influence the judge,” the rules say.
[...]

Parkland Judge Hugs Prosecution Following Sentencing​

WATCH: Judge Elizabeth Scherer hugged the prosecution after she sentenced the Parkland murderer to life in prison w/o parole.

 

[Gardenista]

Judge Slammed for 'Inappropriate' and 'Inexcusably Improper' Decision to Hug Prosecutors at the End of Parkland Shooter's Sentencing

As trial watchers can attest, Judge Elizabeth Scherer has dressed down members of Nikolas Cruz's defense team on numerous occasions.

lawandcrime.com

After the Parkland school shooter was formally sentenced Wednesday to life in prison without parole for murdering 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018, the judge in the case controversially decided to hug members of the prosecution team.
[...]
Florida Code of Judicial Conduct says that a judge “shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety” in all of their activities.

“A judge shall not allow, family, social, political or other relationships to influence the judge’s judicial conduct of judgment. A judge shall not lend the prestige of judicial office to advance the private interests of the judge or others; nor shall a judge convey or permit others to convey the impression that they are in a special position to influence the judge,” the rules say.
[...]

Parkland Judge Hugs Prosecution Following Sentencing​

WATCH: Judge Elizabeth Scherer hugged the prosecution after she sentenced the Parkland murderer to life in prison w/o parole.

She has been wildly inappropriate for the entire case, so add this on to her antics. Bet she didn't know the cameras were still on. Oops.

 

[SeesSeas]

Raw anger tempered with compassion, eloquence and grace..... powerful sentiments!

Bestfriend of Joaquin Oliver speaks to Parkland shooter before sentencing​

Nov 2, 2022

 

[joe jones]

My opinion on the sentencing victim impact statements is it was completely unwarranted for anybody to be able to abuse lawyers of any side in a court of law, it was so undignified to watch from across the pond the judge allowing this.

Irrespective of what the families thought of the defense attorneys, and especially the Judges opinion of the defense attorneys the families should not have been allowed to speak to anybody in a court of law in the way they did.

I do not know or would presume to know the depths of the pain these families feel, but IMO it does not mean that they should then be allowed to speak as many did towards the lawyers.

Then the Judge who is supposed to be without bias, and favoring no side hugs only the prosecution, an egregious breech of her impartiality IMO.

I just found it totally undignified to witness behavior like this in a courtroom.

May they all find some peace.

 

[joe jones]

Judge is hanging around to speak with families. She also hugged it out with prosecutors. Defense counsel went out the back way following their client.

My last point on this is that I know people are disgusted with the PDs being addressed directly by the families but I feel like this is how it should be in all trials where defense counsel demonstrates a lack of respect and outright contempt for victims’ families. There’s doing your job and there’s the extracurricular. The extracurricular is fair game to being called out! If you give offense, then have some thick skin and be prepared to take it when it comes your way. The extracurricular is not part of your job!

then so should the prosecution be allowed to be called out if it going to be tit for tat, let the defendant's family have at it at the prosecution for all the things they think they have done wrong,

it is up to the court to keep all lawyer's behavior in line with court rules, a judge can sanction any attorney for breeching court rules, for behavior that is deemed disrespectful or rude, a courtroom should be a dignified place of law, we would be horrified if people spoke to us as these defense attorneys were spoken to,

I hope I never get to see it again,

 

[michelle230]

I thought it was really clever of one of the parent's to refer to NC repeatedly as just a number.
I was sorry he had to hear of the pain, misery and loneliness they are enduring as this would be like oxygen to him. This is exactly what he strove for.
The girl who was friend's with
Joaquin talking about how she now has no friends..suffers suicide idealation etc was very sad indeed, but I feel like she handed him a huge gift.
Hope I haven't offended anyone but I just feel he really enjoyed hearing about the pain, feelings of emptiness, brokeness and depression etc he had caused. Like icing on the cake of the main event.
MOO

 

[Weki]

then so should the prosecution be allowed to be called out if it going to be tit for tat, let the defendant's family have at it at the prosecution for all the things they think they have done wrong,

it is up to the court to keep all lawyer's behavior in line with court rules, a judge can sanction any attorney for breeching court rules, for behavior that is deemed disrespectful or rude, a courtroom should be a dignified place of law, we would be horrified if people spoke to us as these defense attorneys were spoken to,

I hope I never get to see it again,

My point is that defense made their bed and have no right to complain for getting called out. Or trying to hide behind courtroom decorum after the stunts they pulled throughout. The judge was permissive to all! They should’ve sucked it up instead of playing victim.

 

[joe jones]

My point is that defense made their bed and have no right to complain for getting called out. Or trying to hide behind courtroom decorum after the stunts they pulled throughout. The judge was permissive to all! They should’ve sucked it up instead of playing victim.

no, the Judge should have done her job and if the defense attorneys did something wrong, she should have used her powers to sanction them and make them adhere to the rules of the court

as she did not sanction them (just did lots of shouting at them) then their behavior did not warrant sanctions and thus they did nothing wrong,

 

[Weki]

no, the Judge should have done her job and if the defense attorneys did something wrong, she should have used her powers to sanction them and make them adhere to the rules of the court

as she did not sanction them (just did lots of shouting at them) then their behavior did not warrant sanctions and thus they did nothing wrong,

Well a lot of what they did wasn’t really sanctionable. Lawyers are smart enough to skirt the lines. She couldn’t sanction them for the middle finger cause it happened while she was off the bench. You can’t really sanction lawyers for being jerks. Anyway agree to disagree. A trial is a living, breathing g process and not a sterile environment. They got what was coming to them IMO.

ETA: During a DP process defense is given a lot of latitude and I’ve noticed in other cases that between the guilt and penalty phases the defense attys sometimes completely transform their behavior. They condemn the court, jury, and victims families with their behavior. They act like the white knights coming in to save everyone from barbarism. Hence, Ms.McNeil’s white suit for closings. They transfer the guilt of the crime to guilt of the prosecutors/victims/jury for attempting to kill their client. It can go too far like when Weeks came in and said no one had endured like the defense counsel.

 

[joe jones]

Well a lot of what they did wasn’t really sanctionable. Lawyers are smart enough to skirt the lines. She couldn’t sanction them for the middle finger cause it happened while she was off the bench. You can’t really sanction lawyers for being jerks. Anyway agree to disagree. A trial is a living, breathing g process and not a sterile environment. They got what was coming to them IMO.

ETA: During a DP process defense is given a lot of latitude and I’ve noticed in other cases that between the guilt and penalty phases the defense attys sometimes completely transform their behavior. They condemn the court, jury, and victims families with their behavior. They act like the white knights coming in to save everyone from barbarism. Hence, Ms.McNeil’s white suit for closings. They transfer the guilt of the crime to guilt of the prosecutors/victims/jury for attempting to kill their client. It can go too far like when Weeks came in and said no one had endured like the defense counsel.

we will have to agree to disagree, as for me behavior like that which I saw in court will never be ok with me, and if it's not sanctionable then it isn't wrong, no court gives any attorney loads of leeway, whether it is DP pr not behavior in court is set in stone, there are things you can do and say and things you can't,

but what Weeks said they were entitled to say, the victims' families may not like it, but it is permissible, this Judge IMO made a mockery of what could and should have been a way for families to explain their pain, to allow them to speak of their loved one and how much they have been impacted by what the defendant did, it should not have been allowed to descend into a free for all where the defense team and their children were castigated and name called, where the families were allowed to say horrendous things in a court of law,

I hope the Judge reflects on what she allowed to happen,

 

[SeesSeas]

Fallout from Parkland Shooter's Sentencing Has Already Begun with Investigation of Public Defender and Complaint About Judge's 'Hostility'

Both a public defender and the trial judge in the Parkland shooting death penalty case are under scrutiny for their behavior.

lawandcrime.com

Nov 3rd, 2022, 6:43 pm
A Broward County assistant public defender who was called out by the trial judge for laughing and flipping the bird in court during Nikolas Cruz’s death penalty trial is now reportedly the subject of a Florida Bar investigation. Meanwhile, the judge who yelled at and humiliated the defense more broadly is the subject of a judicial conduct complaint by a state public defenders organization.
[...]
In a letter to 17th Judicial Circuit Chief Judge Jack Tuter, FACDL said it was “troubled” and dismayed that Judge Scherer displayed “hostile and demeaning treatment of defense counsel, one of whom is the elected Public Defender” is seeming “deep disdain for the role defense lawyers play in the criminal justice system.”
[...]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1588266139250999302

 

[Weki]

Oh God! Of course they have to drag this out! They act like defense attys are beyond reproach. God forbid anyone should object to their disrespectful behavior! What an incredible lack of humility and egotism. When she told Weeks to stop talking, he should’ve stopped. They were all provoking her with their whiny objections. They were outta line!

 

[SeesSeas]

Florida Bar investigates Parkland school shooter’s assistant public defender

The Florida Bar is investigating one of the assistant public defenders who represented the Parkland school shooter.

www.local10.com

November 3, 2022
[...]
Some of the victims’ parents used their time behind the podium to condemn the defense’s effort to “humanize” “a monster,” “a murderous [b a s t a r d],” and “an animal” and accused them of “putting up a show” to “manipulate” the jurors. The defense objected to the criticism.
[...]
Chief Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill disagreed with Scherer.
“I did my job, and every member of this team did our job, and we should not personally be attacked for that,” McNeill told Scherer.
[...]

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