Florida mom who cited 'sugar daddy' as excuse to get out of jury duty reveals he gives her $8K a month
A potential juror in the sentencing trial of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz left Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer at a loss for words after citing obligations to her "sugar daddy" to justify skipping out on the trial.
The married woman, identified only as Miss Bristol, went viral after appealing to the needs of her sugar daddy for not wanting to be part of the months-long trial. She said she would miss out on $8,000 a month if she sat on the jury to decide whether Cruz gets the death penalty. Jurors will determine whether to recommend a life sentence or the death penalty for the 24-year-old, who pled guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder after carrying out a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
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"Well I am married and I have my sugar daddy. I see him every day," Bristol told Judge Scherer, who appeared confused and later dismissed her. The woman opened up about her quandary to WPLG on Saturday, April 9. "It's all day for six months and what's my hardship? I need my sugar daddy money," she told the station, adding that she gets about $8,000 a month. Bristol, who is a native New Yorker, also claimed she could lose her house if she doesn't see her benefactor. "If I do this case for six months, I have a hardship that means my sugar daddy can’t support me," she explained.
Jury selection is becoming a mammoth task for Judge Scherer, who dismissed an entire pool of possible jurors on Monday, April 11, after eight of them broke down in tears once the school shooter walked into the courtroom. The sentencing, which is expected to last through the summer, will have a total of 12 jurors and eight alternatives. Scherer, 46, was seen in courtroom footage from last week asking the potential jurors if anyone had questions about what was expected of them. 'Miss Bristol' stood up and bemoaned that the trial was expected to take "a whole entire month" and that it conflicted with her birthday. Besides, it would also interrupt her love life.
"First of all, let me clarify myself, July second is my birthday, July Fourth is my son, and the 18th is my other son," she told the judge. "And again, I need to figure out something. I have my sugar daddy that I see every day." Scherer replied, "I'm sorry?" before Bristol reiterated, "My sugar daddy." The judge was visibly confused and said, "I'm not exactly sure what you're talking about." The woman then added, "Well I am married and I have my sugar daddy. I see him every day." Scherer, at a loss for words, then told Bristol, "Ok. All right. Ma'am, we'll come back to you, OK? Thank you." She was later excused.
The jury selection process continues for the sentencing of Cruz, who claimed 17 lives at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school in 2018. According to the Sun-Sentinel, Judge Scherer released a 60-person panel of potential jurors after they were tainted by emotional outbursts in the courtroom.
Seven women and one man were escorted out of the court in tears during the third panel of the day. The outbursts took place after Cruz entered the courtroom, and ultimately the entire panel was released. The exodus happened after the judge had already screened two 60-person panels that day. A fourth panel was screened afterward. At least 147 possible jurors have advanced to the next round of questions, according to the Daily Mail.