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Florida school shooter may have been his own worst witness

Published

2 years ago

October 9, 2022

Florida school shooter may have been his own worst witness

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — It’s doable Florida college shooter Nikolas Cruz talked himself right into a demise sentence.

Prosecutors performed video final week at Cruz’s penalty trial of jailhouse interviews he did this yr with two of their psychological well being consultants. In frank and generally graphic element, he answered their questions on his bloodbath of 17 individuals at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas Excessive Faculty on Feb. 14, 2018 — his planning, his motivation, the shootings.

Whereas it may well’t be recognized what the 12 jurors are pondering, if any are wavering between voting for demise or life with out parole, his statements to Dr. Charles Scott, a forensic psychiatrist, and Robert Denney, a neuropsychologist, didn’t assist his trigger.

“All of this made Cruz himself maybe one of many state’s greatest witnesses,” mentioned David S. Weinstein, a Miami protection lawyer and former prosecutor who has been monitoring the trial.

The jury will possible determine Cruz’s destiny this week. For the 24-year-old to get a demise sentence, the jury have to be unanimous on a minimum of one sufferer. But when all 17 counts come again with a minimum of one vote in favor of life in jail, then that might be his sentence. Closing arguments are scheduled Tuesday, with deliberations starting Wednesday.

As a result of Cruz’s protection is that his delivery mom’s heavy ingesting throughout being pregnant left him mind broken, prosecutors might have consultants study him for his or her rebuttal case.

Scott and Denney interviewed him individually for a number of hours. In every, Cruz sat throughout the desk, handcuffed, a sweater draped over his chest. He generally requested for a pen and paper so as to add diagrams and drawings to his explanations.

“The query is: What’s going to the jury take away from the interviews? Chilly-blooded killer who was vengeful and excited concerning the murders, or an individual so hopelessly deranged that he can’t be something however loopy?” mentioned Bob Jarvis, a professor at Nova Southeastern College’s legislation college.

Excerpts from these interviews, a few of that are graphic:

HOW LONG HAD CRUZ BEEN CONTEMPLATING A SCHOOL SHOOTING?

“A really very long time,” Cruz advised Scott, beginning when he was 13 or 14, about 5 years earlier than he did it.

“It was only a thought. I used to be studying books,” Cruz mentioned. “It could come and go. It could pop up in my thoughts.”

The ideas would return when he watched violent movies, notably documentaries about mass shootings at Colorado’s Columbine Excessive Faculty, Virginia Tech and elsewhere, he mentioned.

HOW DID CRUZ PLAN THE MASSACRE?

“I did my very own analysis,” Cruz advised Scott. “I studied mass murderers and the way they did it, their plans, what they obtained and what they used.”

He detailed the teachings he discovered: Look ahead to would-be rescuers coming round corners, maintain a long way out of your focused victims, assault as quick as doable — and “the police didn’t do something.”

“I’ve a small alternative to shoot individuals for perhaps 20 minutes,” Cruz mentioned.

HOW DID CRUZ PREPARE?

He advised Scott he put his AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle in a bag the night time earlier than and slipped its magazines right into a taking pictures vest. He adjusted the gun’s sights and imagined what the recoil would really feel like.

“I didn’t get any sleep,” Cruz mentioned.

He donned the burgundy polo shirt he acquired when he was a member of the Stoneman Douglas Junior Reserve Officer Coaching Corps program so he might escape by mingling with fleeing college students.

“If I had all my (taking pictures) gear on, they might have known as the cops,” Cruz mentioned.

When he set out at 2 p.m., he advised the Uber driver he was within the college orchestra and the bag carried his instrument.

WHAT DID CRUZ DO WHEN HE ARRIVED?

“I walked by the gates. Hopefully, there can be no safety guards, however I used to be unsuitable,” Cruz advised Scott. “I used to be trying on the man and he was watching me.”

When Cruz attended Stoneman Douglas, guards regularly checked him for weapons due to his erratic and generally violent conduct. When he was expelled a yr earlier than the taking pictures, a guard predicted he would ultimately return and shoot individuals.

Fearing he’d been found, Cruz sprinted right into a three-story classroom constructing and rapidly assembled his weapon. He advised a scholar who occurred upon him to flee as a result of one thing unhealthy was about to occur.

He then went ground to ground, taking pictures down hallways and into lecture rooms, firing 140 photographs in all.

“I assumed they might scream,” Cruz mentioned about his first three victims. He shot them point-blank exterior a locked classroom door. “It was extra like they handed out and blood got here pouring out of their head. It was actually nasty and unhappy to see.”

However he continued.

“I believe I confirmed mercy to a few ladies. I used to be going to stroll away, however they confirmed nasty faces and I went again,” Cruz mentioned. “I assumed they had been going to assault me.”

Cruz shot a number of of his victims a second time after they fell, together with his ultimate one — a scholar writhing from a leg wound. He mentioned the boy “gave me a nasty look. A glance of anger.”

“His head blew up like a water balloon,” Cruz mentioned.

WHY DID CRUZ STOP SHOOTING?

College students and lecturers fled the constructing or locked themselves in lecture rooms. The third-floor hallway was now empty aside from victims.

“I couldn’t discover anybody to kill,” he mentioned. “I didn’t need to do it anymore and I didn’t assume there was anybody else within the constructing.”

He dropped his gun and vest on the stairwell and fled. He was captured an hour later — the police officer had been searching for a younger male in a Stoneman Douglas ROTC polo.

CRUZ’S FINAL SAY

As Denney was ending the ultimate interview, he requested Cruz if there was anything he ought to know. Cruz thought for 10 seconds earlier than responding: “Why I selected Valentine’s Day.”

“As a result of I assumed nobody would love me,” Cruz defined. “I didn’t like Valentine’s Day and I needed to destroy it for everybody.”

“Do you imply for the relations of the children that had been killed?” Denney requested.

“No, for the varsity,” Cruz replied.

The vacation won’t ever be celebrated there once more, he mentioned.

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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

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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)

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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)

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