The team of public defenders representing Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz requested to withdraw from the trial that will decide if he will be sentenced to death after the judge ordered them to proceed with jury selection despite one of the five lawyers being ill with Covid-19.
The motion to withdraw by Cruz’s lead attorney Melisa McNeill was rejected by Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer. The legal team then filed a motion requesting that the judge remove herself from the case, arguing that she was biased against Cruz. The judge also dismissed that request.
