Judge: Jury In Parkland Shooter's Trial Can See Swastikas Nikolas Cruz Drew In Class

CBS Miami

September 3, 2022

In a failed attempt to bar the admission into evidence several swastikas Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz drew on assignments, his attorneys made an unusual argument Thursday at his penalty trial: he was an equal opportunity killer who shot his victims without regard to race or religion.

The attorneys told Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer outside the jury's presence that the Nazi symbol creates such strong anger and revulsion that allowing the panel to see his drawings violates his right to a fair trial because there is no evidence that his 2018 murder of 17 people at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High was driven by bigotry. Those killed and the 17 wounded included white, Black, Hispanic and Asian people, Christians and Jews.

They also listed the numerous times they asked Scherer before jury selection to rule on whether the swastikas would be admitted, saying her failure affected the questions they asked prospective jurors and their trial strategy. They asked for a mistrial, which Scherer angrily rejected, calling their argument "disingenuous."

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