In Florida, defense attorneys for the gunman who killed 17 people at a Parkland high school surprised prosecutors and the judge today by abruptly resting their case. The jury is considering whether the gunman, Nikolas Cruz receives the death penalty or life in prison.
Cruz's defense attorneys had said they planned to call 80 witnesses. In recent days, jurors heard from acquaintances, school counselors and psychologists about Cruz's troubled childhood. A doctor testified that Cruz's mother abused alcohol while pregnant, leaving him with a disorder related to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Dr. Kenneth Jones said, "I have never, ever in my life seen an individual who has been affected [this much] by prenatal exposure to alcohol."
