FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Nikolas Cruz, who already pleaded guilty to killing 17 people and wounding 17 others, sat at a table with his lawyers during the first day of what’s expect to be a six-month trial to determine whether he gets life in prison or death.
Among the family members in the courtroom were Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old daughter Jaime was killed; Tom and Gena Hoyer, whose 15-year-old son Luke was killed; and Annika and Mitch Dworet, whose 17-year-old son Nicholas was killed.
The day was devoted largely to hearing from potential jurors who raised their hands when asked if any had unavoidable time commitments that would prevent them from serving in a case that could last through September. By the end of the day, 139 jurors had been excused.
Cruz showed little reaction, except to look down when one potential juror said she’d met him before.
“The matter before us today is the criminal case of the state of Florida vs. Nikolas Cruz,” Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer told a group of potential jurors at the Broward County courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. “The case stems from a school shooting which occurred on Feb. 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Please understand that although you may be familiar with the case, you will not be excused for that reason alone.”
The trial requires 12 jurors, whose vote for a death penalty must be unanimous. Another eight will be selected as backups.
As the judge gave preliminary instructions to first group of 60 potential jurors, one woman in the group started crying.
More than half of the potential jurors raised their hands to say they would not be able to commit to the time needed for the trial. Most cited their inability to miss work. Others cited wedding or vacation plans. One potential juror said she’d met Cruz before and was escorted from the courtroom, although she was brought back for additional questioning.
Excuses for not being able to serve ranged from serious to baffling.
“I have my sugar daddy that I see every day,” one woman said.
“OK ... I’m not really sure what you mean,” Scherer said. The woman repeated herself. “I go to see my sugar daddy every day.” “OK, ma’am we’ll come back to you,” Scherer said. The woman was excused.
“I’m a realtor,” one potential juror said. “You know how that works.”
”Yes, I do,” the judge replied. “Why don’t you tell me anyway?”
The juror explained he’s paid on commission, so missing work would have an impact on his income.
One juror said she’d met Cruz prior to the shooting on a visit to a cabin at Big Cypress National Preserve. Although she said she thought she could be impartial, she said it was difficult for her to see how she could vote for life in prison.
“I’m not interested in having people sit in jail for the rest of their lives as a taxpayer I don’t know how else to — " she said. “There are certain people that I think should just be put to death.”
She was excused.
The job of selecting a jury is expected to be difficult, considering the time commitment involved and the notoriety of the case. Lawyers for the defense and prosecution did little speaking Monday, in a process guided largely by the judge. When the work wrapped up in the late afternoon, she said it had gone well.
“I think for day one, everything went rather smoothly,” she said.
The trial is taking place in the building’s largest courtroom, with a maximum capacity of 265. An additional metal detector is set up on the 17th floor for an added layer of security.
Despite the gravity of the crimes, the day had its lighter moments. Several prospective jurors responded to the judge’s pleasantries by asking how she was doing. The judge congratulated a juror on the brink of earning a doctorate and expressed sympathy for another who is caring for a relative with Huntington’s disease.
The trial is expected to last through September, with the first two months devoted to finding jurors. About 1,000 potential jurors have been called for the initial round of screening.
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