Parkland prosecutors call for investigation into threatened juror after shooter sentencing
Fort Lauderdale, Florida - Prosecutors in the sentencing trial of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz have asked law enforcement to investigate claims that a member of the jury felt threatened by another juror during deliberations.
The 24-year-old was spared the death penalty, but the jury recommended life in prison without parole after a three-month sentencing trial finished on Thursday.
Cruz pled guilty last year to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 attempted murder charges from the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018, when he took the lives of 17 victims in a calculated mass shooting.
The jury's recommendation came as a shock to many, and the victims' families expressed their outrage shortly after the decision that he was not put to death.
Tom Hoyer, whose son Luke was murdered in the shooting, told The New York Times, "I think what is most upsetting to me is that the jury showed the killer more mercy than they showed the parents and families."
Armed with new information, prosecutors have now reportedly requested Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer to have law enforcement interview a juror who reported feeling threatened during deliberations.
Juror described deliberation as "very tense" in a letter to the judge
Benjamin Thomas, the jury foreman, revealed to CBS Miami that the majority of jurors wanted the death penalty.
"There was one with a hard no — she couldn't do it — and there was another two that ended up voting the same way," Thomas said.
Florida law requires a unanimous vote to impose the death penalty.
The juror in question is said to have called prosecutors on Thursday after the jury's decision was read in court.
"Juror X spoke to a support staff member and informed the support staff member that during deliberations she received what she perceived to be a threat from a fellow juror while in the jury room," the filing reportedly said. "The State did not call Juror X back and instead, filed a Notice to the Court."
A juror penned a letter to the judge denying allegations that the panel had been set on voting for a life sentence since before the trial began. It is unclear whether this juror is the same as the one who reported feeling threatened.
"This allegation is untrue and I maintained my oath to the court that I would be fair and unbiased," the juror said. "The deliberations were very tense and some jurors became extremely unhappy once I mentioned that I would vote for life."
A hearing regarding the prosecution's motion for investigation is scheduled for Friday afternoon.
Cover photo: Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Pool via REUTERS