The defence for Nikolas Cruz, the man convicted of shooting dead 17 people and injuring 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on 14 February 2018, began its case at his sentencing trial on Monday.
Jurors heard from Cruz’s sister Danielle Woodard who entered the court in handcuffs and flanked by law enforcement after being allowed to leave jail to testify in her brother’s defence.
Woodard said her brother was “polluted” in the womb by their shared biological mother who was an alcoholic and drug addict. The jury also heard from teachers, a family friend, and a clinical psychologist who treated Cruz as a child.
Cruz’s defence is seeking to show that foetal alcohol spectrum disorders and a troubled upbringing contributed to his actions when he embarked on one of the deadliest school massacres in US history back on Valentine’s Day 2018.
In October 2021, Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.
Jurors will now decide if he is sentenced to death or to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
