The judge overseeing jury selection for a man who murdered 17 people at a Florida high school declared that the process will start over Monday, conceding that she should have questioned 11 potential jurors who said they would not follow the law before she dismissed them.
In granting the motion filed by Nikolas Cruz's prosecutors over the strong objection of his attorneys, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer nullified two weeks of work by prosecution and defense lawyers, forcing them to begin the entire process anew Monday. As a result, almost 250 potential jurors who had said they could sit for a four-month trial will not be called back next month for further questioning. More than 1,200 candidates had been screened.
Prosecutor Carolyn McCann made her argument after miscommunication caused 11 jurors who were improperly dismissed by Scherer two weeks ago not to be told to return to court Monday as had been planned for further questioning.
