Nikolas Cruz trial: Judge Elizabeth Scherer DISMISSES 60 potential jurors after 'emotional outbursts'
Judge Elizabeth Scherer dismissed an entire batch of potential jurors out of the courtroom on Monday, April 11, after eight panelists broke down in tears. These potential jurors had been called in regarding the sentencing of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz. Judge Scherer dismissed the 60-person panel on day four of jury selection as they were "tainted by emotional outbursts".
The jury selection is for the sentencing of Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people at a South Florida high school in 2018. On Monday, Judge Scherer had already scanned two 60-person panels. Another panel was seen sometime later.
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By this round, the judge had scanned countless jurors of which only 147 advanced to another round of questions. Seven women and one man were escorted out after they broke down. This evacuation only began after Cruz, 23, entered the courtroom premises. By the end of the day, all jurors were dismissed.
In a clip that surfaced online, one woman could be heard yelling at the judge, "My son is a victim. He was shot at 15 years old. My spirit is so disturbed." In her capacity as the judge, Scherer interrupted the woman so as to keep the mother's emotions from having an impact on others.
The jury selection for Nikolas Cruz's sentencing trial has been constantly interrupted by emotional outbursts. Potential jurors were teary-eyed as they were being led out of the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. The first woman who left was seen crying out really loud.
On the other hand, Cruz was seen in court with disheveled hair and thick-rimmed eyeglasses. He reportedly dropped his head and faced away from the struggling panel before facing them again.
While dismissing the panel, Judge Scherer said, "The ladies and gentlemen that have been taken out so far are people that are just so upset that they can't sit here without getting emotional, and we don't want to cause trauma for anyone." She added, "If you absolutely cannot sit here without breaking down or getting emotional, you can raise your hand." The judge released the whole jury panel minutes later.
Earlier, a juror known as Miss Bristol created havoc after she told the judge that she could not do jury duty as she was too busy juggling her husband and her sugar daddy. This excuse left the judge obviously very confused and speechless. Miss Bristol was later excused.