A former judge who presided over the trial of the Parkland high school mass murderer has sharply criticized the public defenders who represented him. The judge, Elizabeth Scherer, spoke to law students at Florida International University, stating that the defense attorneys acted unprofessionally and crossed several lines during the trial.
Scherer mentioned that the defense team, led by assistant public defender Melisa McNeill, lost their perspective during the four-year pretrial motions, three months of jury selection, and the three-month trial. She highlighted instances where the defense team engaged in distracting behaviors while prosecution witnesses were testifying, such as talking, passing notes, using a computer printer, and even making inappropriate gestures.
