FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - Jurors in the penalty phase trial of the confessed Parkland shooter heard about the struggles Nikolas Cruz faced at home from a counselor as well as retired social worker who worked with him and a former Broward Sheriff’s Office detective who responded to his home several times.
Defense attorneys continued to detail the life of the confessed shooter as they went through his entire life, Friday morning.
Tiffany Forest is one of the many counselors who worked with the Cruz family over the years. Her perspective was unique, as she was often inside the home, which she described as large but barely furnished.
Though Cruz was the older brother, it was his younger sibling who did the bullying.
“There was one instance where Lynda provided Nikolas with cereal and something else that he was eating, and Zachary stepped on the countertop and stepped on his food,” said Forest.
Away from the home and in the classroom, Cruz was the bully, where he struggled to keep up and failed most classes.
“The client is disruptive in class and oftentimes causes the other children to stay off task because they are paying attention to him,” said Forest. “Teacher also expressed that the client uses very negative words in his assignments.”
Jurors also heard from now retired BSO detective Jeffrey Smith, one of many law enforcement officers who were called to the Cruz home over the years.
“Mrs. Cruz would always call because one or both of her sons were acting out, were throwing things and maybe punching walls,” he said.
The third witness of the day was Liliana Pardo-Posse, a retired social worker who worked with Broward County Public Schools from 2000 to 2017. She said Cruz’s mother told her she knew something was wrong with him.
“[She said] something is very wrong with him, I don’t know what. I know he has [attention-deficit disorder], but that does not explain his behavior,” said Pardo-Posse
Defense attorneys have listed as many as 80 witnesses that they could call on throughout this process.
They have gone through about 20 already, so this trial still has a long way to go.
However, jurors will have a one-week break. The court will be in recess all next week.
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