JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jury selection for Parkland, Florida, school shooter Nikolas Cruz is set to begin Monday after four years of legal maneuvering and pandemic delays.
His attorneys will attempt to find jurors who they think will vote against sentencing him to death for murdering 17 people. Perhaps 1,500 or more potential jurors are expected to be screened by prosecutors and defense attorneys.
Cruz, 23, has pleaded guilty to the murders, and the jury will decide whether he is sentenced to death or life without parole.
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Jacksonville attorney Gene Nichols, who is not affiliated with the case, says jury selection could take more than a month.
“The government is going to put on evidence for every one of the murders and every one of the attempted murders to show what are called aggravated circumstances,” Nichols said. “Such as there was planning, the crimes were committed in a heinous or atrocious way and they were cold and calculated. They will do it for every one of the counts, which is why we can expect this to take a very long time.”
Nichols said it’s unlikely that jurors won’t know something about the case. He said the state and defense are looking for jurors who can put aside their animosity towards Cruz.
Once jurors are selected, Nichols said they will have to fill out a questionnaire.
“The jury questionnaire in this case is going to go very specifically to what the potential juror already knows — whether or not they are either for or against the death penalty, whether or not they are going to make a decision on the death penalty. And it’s not that you have to be pro-death or anti-death penalty, but can you follow the law? Nichols said.
In Florida, jurors must unanimously agree on a verdict for someone to receive the death penalty.