Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz listens to testimony while seated at the defense table during the penalty phase of his trial, Friday, July 22, 2022, at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)
(FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA) — Lawyers for Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz are now accused of misleading the court.
That’s what prosecutors said yesterday after Cruz’ legal team filed a motion to have the judge disqualified.
Judge Elizabeth Scherer scolded Cruz’ lawyer when she announced, without advance notice, that they were resting their case without calling at least another 40 witnesses they had promised to present.
The state attorney’s office says four members of Cruz’ legal team “failed to be candid with the court” last week when asked about calling more witnesses, and the sudden move to rest “adversely impacted the court schedule.”
The sentencing trial won’t resume until a week from tomorrow.