FORT LAUDERDALE, Florida (AP) – Prosecutors in the case of the Nikolas Cruz school massacre in Florida called for an investigation after a juror said she felt threatened by another juror during deliberations that ended Thursday with the l life sentence against Cruz for the murder of 17 people.
The prosecution motion asks law enforcement to question the woman after she told the state attorney’s office that she “sensed a threat from another juror in the jury room.” No further details were provided. The hearing was set for Friday afternoon.
A divided jury spared Cruz from the death penalty and sentenced him to jail for the rest of his life, in a decision that left many relatives of the victims angry, confused and in tears. Cruz, 24, pleaded guilty a year ago to killing 14 students and three teachers and injuring 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2014.
Under Florida law, a death sentence requires a unanimous vote. The jury of seven men and five women unanimously agreed that there were aggravating factors to justify the death penalty, such as agreeing that the killings were “particularly inhuman, heinous or cruel”.
But one or more jurors found mitigating factors, such as neglected childhood problems. In the end, the jury couldn’t unanimously agree that aggravating factors outweighed mitigating factors, so Cruz receives life in prison without parole. Judge Elizabeth Scherer will formally deliver the sentence on November 1. Family members, along with injured students and teachers, will have the opportunity to speak.
Jury foreman Benjamin Thomas told reporters that three jurors voted for life in prison in the final vote.
