![]() ![]() “He’d have tantrums when he didn’t get his way,” she said. By the time Nikolas was 4 years old, you could tell he was different, Browd said. He showed no self-control, ripping up other children’s classwork and calling them names.īut the highlight of Monday’s testimony was Browd’s recording. He was quiet and kept to himself, avoiding interaction with his classmates. Nikolas was thin and very small for his age, she said. It was clear he had behavioral and language problems, she told the jury. She taught Nikolas Cruz in both third and fourth grade. Lynn Rodriguez, a retired special ed teacher, was Monday’s first witness. ![]() His progress remained slow for years, she said.ĭefense lawyers have asserted that Cruz suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome as a result of his biological mother’s habits while she was pregnant with him. Cruz did not start speaking until he was 2 years old, she said, far later than most children. The jury also heard from speech pathologist Shameka Stanford, who reviewed the defendant’s history and said exposure to alcohol could have had an impact on his brain development. Defense lawyers hope to drum up enough sympathy for Cruz to persuade the jury to spare his life. The jury is tasked with deciding whether Cruz should be sentenced to death or life in prison for the 17 murders he committed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. Prosecutors agreed to let the defense introduce the recording for the jury’s consideration. In poor health, Browd was unable to attend the trial. ![]() Her video testimony was recorded before the trial started. Browd offered more glimpses into the Parkland gunman’s childhood, his frequent tantrums, quirky eating habits and inability to get along with other children his age. Jurors heard the story from Finai Browd, a family friend who knew Lynda and Roger Cruz from their time in New York and, with her husband, followed them to South Florida. He would go on to become the worst mass shooter in Broward County history. Nikolas Cruz was already showing signs of developmental and behavioral difficulties. Defense lawyers in the sentencing trial of the Parkland gunman presented jurors on Monday with an account of the 2004 death of Roger Cruz, a pivotal moment in the life of the young boy who had been adopted nearly six years earlier. ![]()
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