Florida

Error forces redo of Florida school shooter’s jury selection

Published

3 years ago

April 25, 2022

Error forces redo of Florida school shooter’s jury selection

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The choose overseeing jury choice for a person who murdered 17 folks at a Florida highschool declared that the method will begin over Monday, conceding that she ought to have questioned 11 potential jurors who mentioned they might not observe the legislation earlier than she dismissed them.

In granting the movement filed by Nikolas Cruz ‘s prosecutors over the sturdy objection of his attorneys, Circuit Choose Elizabeth Scherer nullified two weeks of labor by prosecution and protection legal professionals, forcing them to start your complete course of anew on Monday. In consequence, virtually 250 potential jurors who had mentioned they may sit for a four-month trial won’t be referred to as again subsequent month for additional questioning. Greater than 1,200 candidates had been screened.

Prosecutor Carolyn McCann made her argument after the 11 jurors who had been improperly dismissed by Scherer two weeks in the past weren’t instructed to return to court docket for extra questioning Monday, as had been deliberate, attributable to a miscommunication error.

Advert

Scherer mentioned they might be introduced in subsequent week, however McCann argued that extra time can be wasted if it turned out the potential jurors needed to be struck anyway. She mentioned the prosecution has simply as a lot proper to query potential jurors and to an untainted remaining panel because the protection.

“This isn’t innocent error,” McCann mentioned.

Melisa McNeill, Cruz’s lead public defender, strongly disagreed with the choice to strike the potential jurors now. She mentioned Scherer ought to wait till subsequent week to see if the 11 jurors returned and might be questioned. She then requested the choose to delay her choice till Monday afternoon to present her facet extra time to do analysis. Scherer sided with the prosecution, however mentioned she would possibly rethink if the protection could make a persuasive argument Monday afternoon after it finishes its analysis.

Cruz, 23, pleaded responsible in October to murdering 17 and wounding 17 at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas Excessive College on Feb. 14, 2018. The 12-member jury that can be chosen after a two-month, three-step winnowing course of will resolve if he’s sentenced to demise or life in jail with out parole. The misstep will virtually actually push again opening statements from their scheduled date of mid-June. They’d already been delayed from Could 31.

Advert

Having to start out over again has been a risk since Scherer made the error on April 5 throughout questioning of a bunch of 60 potential jurors, the fifth of 21 panels which have appeared earlier than the choose, prosecutors and the protection.

With the earlier 4 teams and each group since, Scherer solely requested potential jurors in the event that they knew Cruz or any of the attorneys and if they’d any private or work hardships that will make it not possible for them to serve from June by September. With the fifth group, nevertheless, she additionally requested if any of the candidates wouldn’t observe the legislation if chosen. A pair folks put up their arms, then a pair extra till quickly there have been 11 arms held aloft.

Scherer expressed shock on the quantity, however dismissed them with out additional questioning, drawing an objection from Cruz’s attorneys in a non-public sidebar after they left. The protection wished Scherer to query them additional to ensure they really believed and understood what they had been saying and never merely attempting to keep away from jury service. Florida jury candidates who say they will’t serve are virtually at all times questioned, whatever the causes they offer.

Advert

Scherer, realizing her error, tried to have the jurors returned, however all besides one had left the courthouse. She mentioned the Broward County Sheriff’s Workplace would ship summonses to them, however that was not carried out for unexplained causes. Even when all had returned, they nonetheless may need been disqualified as a result of they’d not been given the order that Scherer gave to different potential jurors to not focus on or learn concerning the case.

“I’ll by no means make that mistake once more,” Scherer instructed attorneys the day after her error.

Given Cruz’s notoriety and the hatred many locally have for him, discovering jurors who may be truthful guarantees to be an excruciatingly lengthy course of. Jurors who move the primary stage by saying they will serve 4 months full questionnaires about their backgrounds and their beliefs on the demise penalty. The solutions are given to either side, after which prospects are introduced again in a number of weeks later for additional questioning, together with whether or not they are often truthful to Cruz.

Advert

The jurors who’re chosen will resolve whether or not aggravating elements — the a number of deaths, the planning Cruz put into the killings and the cruelty with which they had been carried out — outweigh mitigating elements such because the defendant’s lifelong psychological and emotional issues, attainable sexual abuse and the demise of his mother and father.

For Cruz to be executed, the jury should vote unanimously for demise. If a number of vote towards it, he can be sentenced to life with out parole.

Source link

Related Topics:Featured Florida Nikolas Cruz Parkland

Click to comment

Florida

FHP, ICE discuss arrest of alleged gang member in Florida

Published

8 hours ago

March 21, 2025

Press Room

FHP, ICE discuss arrest of alleged gang member in Florida

Officials from the Florida Highway Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are discussing the arrest of Franklin Jose Jimenez-Bracho, a citizen of Venezuela and alleged gang member of Tren de Aragua. Formed in a Venezuelan prison, the gang has branched out to become a multinational crime organization. Bracho’s arrest is the first arrest in the nation under the Alien Enemies Act.

Posted March 21, 2025 3:33pm EDT

Source link

Florida

How to watch Tennessee vs. South Florida: Odds, storylines for women’s NCAA Tournament matchup

Published

20 hours ago

March 21, 2025

Press Room

How to watch Tennessee vs. South Florida: Odds, storylines for women’s NCAA Tournament matchup

The fifth-seeded Tennessee Lady Vols are a made-for-TV team with a fast offense and a knack for draining 3-pointers. No. 12 South Florida faces a massive uphill battle that may get a small boost from Tennessee’s weaknesses on defense. Tennessee is favored by nearly 20 points.

We’ve got a breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the matchup, plus odds, projections and expert picks. Team profiles written by The Athletic’s Michael Waterloo.

How to watch Tennessee vs. South Florida

What: Birmingham 3 Regional, first round
Venue: Schottenstein Center — Columbus, Ohio
Time: 8 p.m. ET, Friday, March 21
TV: ESPN
Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
Watching in-person? Get tickets on StubHub

Own your bracket pool with The Athletic
Projecting the bracket | Best picks to win the title | Best bracket names

No. 5 Tennessee Lady Vols

Strengths: The Lady Vols push, push, push on offense, as they play a quick style. They rank second nationally in scoring, thanks in part to Arkansas transfer Samara Spencer and South Carolina transfer Talaysia Cooper. Opponents facing Tennessee must be ready for a barrage of 3-pointers. The Lady Vols rank third nationally in made 3-pointers and finished second in 3-point attempts.

Weaknesses: Their offense is stellar, and it’s a good thing because their defense struggles, as we saw in their SEC tournament loss to Vanderbilt. They rank in the 19th percentile in points allowed per game. So when the 3s that Tennessee relies on aren’t falling, it can make for a long day at the office if the Lady Vols aren’t getting defensive stops. Adding to the defensive issues are the number of fouls by Tennessee. Tournament games can be decided at the free-throw line. Tennessee averaged north of 20 fouls per game, which just isn’t a recipe for success in March.

Outlook: This Tennessee team is fun. The fast-paced, high-scoring nature of this squad is made for TV and the tournament. It’ll all come down to how they play defensively. Tennessee, despite the number of 3-pointers hoisted, ranks in the 97th percentile in offensive rebound rate, so if the Lady Vols can keep possessions alive for second-chance points and limit transition buckets, their offense can overcome their defense like it has all season.

No. 12 South Florida Bulls

Strengths: The Bulls do enough well without doing anything especially great. Sixth-year senior Sammie Puisis leads the scoring pace for the Bulls, averaging 14.8 points per game and shooting 39.5 percent from 3.

Weaknesses: Puisis can shoot from a distance, but the Bulls focus on shot attempts from inside the arc. If defenses are isolating Puisis, can someone like Vittoria Blasigh take on the scoring assignment?

Outlook: South Florida has advanced to the Round of 32 in two of the last three seasons, so it isn’t impossible. But advancing past the first weekend? I’d be surprised.

This matchup can also be streamed on ESPN+.

Tennessee vs. USF odds

Streaming and Betting/Odds links in this article are provided by partners of The Athletic. Restrictions may apply. The Athletic maintains full editorial independence. Partners have no control over or input into the reporting or editing process and do not review stories before publication

(Photo of Talaysia Cooper, Ruby Whitehorn, and Kaniya Boyd: Sarah Stier / Getty Images)

Source link

Florida

Norfolk State vs Florida Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, Betting Trends and Stats for 2025 March Madness

Published

1 day ago

March 20, 2025

Press Room

Norfolk State vs Florida Prediction: Odds, Expert Picks, Betting Trends and Stats for 2025 March Madness

The No. 16 Norfolk State Spartans (24-10) are set to face the top seed in the West Region, the Florida Gators (30-4) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Spartans clinched their spot in the tournament with a 66-65 win over South Carolina State in the MEAC Championship game. Brian Moore Jr. leads the team averaging nearly 19 points per game.

The Gators secured a No. 1 seed with an 86-77 win over Tennessee in the SEC Championship game. Florida boasts a high-scoring offense, averaging 85 points per game, and a solid defense allowing just 69 points per game. Guard Walter Clayton leads the team with averages of 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists per game.

The winner of this game earns the right to play the winner of the UConn vs. Oklahoma game.

Lets dive into the matchup and offer some information and possibly a sweat or two.

We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch the opening tip, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

Game details & how to watch Norfolk State vs. Florida

Date: Friday, March 21, 2025
Time: 6:50PM EST
Site: PNC Arena
City: Raleigh, NC
Network/Streaming: TNT

Never miss a second of the action and stay up to date with all the latest scores and player news. Check out our day-by-day NCAA Basketball Schedule Page that includes live game updates.

Game odds for Norfolk State vs. Florida

The latest odds as of Thursday courtesy of BetMGM:

Odds: Norfolk State Spartans (+3300), Florida Gators (-10000)
Spread: Gators -28.5
Total: 153.5 points

Expert picks & predictions for Norfolk State vs. Florida

NBC Sports Bet Best Bet

Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the NCAA calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, injuries, and the schedule.

Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.

Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Friday’s Spartans & Gators game:

Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is staying away from a play on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on Florida -28.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play on the Game Total UNDER 153.5.

Norfolk State vs. Florida: Top betting trends and recent stats

Norfolk State is 12-1 in their last 14 games
Norfolk State is 1-7 against the spread in their last 8 games (17-11 ATS for the season)
Florida has won their last 6 games
Florida is 6-0 against the spread in their last 6 games (23-8 ATS for the season)
The Game Total in each of Florida’s last 6 games has cashed to the OVER

If you’re looking for more key trends and stats around the spread, moneyline and total for every single game on the schedule today, check out our NCAA Basketball Top Trends Tool on NBCSports.com!

Please bet responsibly. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline at 1-800-522-4700.

Follow our experts on socials to keep up with all the latest content from the staff:
· Jay Croucher (@croucherJD)
· Drew Dinsick (@whale_capper)
· Vaughn Dalzell (@VmoneySports)
· Brad Thomas (@MrBradThomas)

Source link