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DonViejo

(60,536 posts)
Tue Feb 27, 2018, 12:43 PM Feb 2018

Judge Denies Request From FL School Shooter Attys To Step Aside From Case

Source: Associated Press




PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — A judge has refused to step aside from the case of Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz as requested by his lawyers.

Court records show that Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer denied the request Monday.

Cruz’s lawyers claimed Scherer has made rulings and comments that indicate favoritism for prosecutors. They say in court papers that Cruz can’t get a fair trial, but Scherer disagreed.

Cruz, who’s 19, is charged with 17 counts of murder in the Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/judge-denies-florida-high-school-shooter-request

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Pachamama

(16,887 posts)
1. Just curious..... What exactly does it mean to get a "fair" trial for 17 counts of murder in FL?
Tue Feb 27, 2018, 12:50 PM
Feb 2018


No death penalty?

iluvtennis

(19,880 posts)
2. As the Baretta detective show theme song said, "If you can't do the time, don't do the crime"...
Tue Feb 27, 2018, 01:05 PM
Feb 2018

...I have no sympathy for this murderer.

d_r

(6,907 posts)
4. and now they have something
Tue Feb 27, 2018, 01:18 PM
Feb 2018

to base an appeal on when he gets the death penalty to try to string that out.

cab67

(3,010 posts)
5. I hate to say it....
Tue Feb 27, 2018, 01:32 PM
Feb 2018

...but the attorneys might be right. I don't know if the judge is prejudiced toward the prosecution or not, but media saturation of this case does diminish the likelihood that a large group of impartial jurors can be found.

jmowreader

(50,566 posts)
12. Unfortunately for Mr. Cruz...
Tue Feb 27, 2018, 05:11 PM
Feb 2018

...there are only two ways this can go, considering he did this in Florida where they really hate mass murder.

The first way it goes is he is declared incompetent to stand trial. This gets him sent to the Florida State Psychiatric Warehouse at Chattahoochee for the rest of his life.

The other way is if he's found competent to stand trial, which will almost certainly end with him on death row.

Aristus

(66,474 posts)
6. If he confessed to the murders, why is there going to be a trial?
Tue Feb 27, 2018, 01:50 PM
Feb 2018

I thought if a suspect confesses to a crime, he allocutes in court for the record, and then gets sentenced.

csziggy

(34,139 posts)
8. If the state is going for the death penalty they have to have a trial
Tue Feb 27, 2018, 03:42 PM
Feb 2018

His lawyers should try for a plea deal for a life sentence which would save everyone time and money.

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