Witness: Florida school shooter struggled in middle school

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Florida college shooter Nikolas Cruz struggled academically and behaviorally in center college, laughing uncontrollably and blurting out inappropriate feedback at school, destroying a rest room sink and getting low grades, a former counselor testified Tuesday at his penalty trial for massacring 17 individuals.

Jessica Clark Flournoy, who labored with particular training college students, testified that when she initially met with Cruz in sixth grade at Westglades Center Faculty in 2011, he tried arduous to get good grades, behave and make associates however he struggled. Cruz, who was recognized with consideration deficit hyperactivity dysfunction, had bother focusing and staying organized, she stated.

Flournoy stated Cruz was extraordinarily anxious — one thing elementary academics additionally stated in earlier testimony — and feared different college students would uncover he was doing poorly. She stated when academics returned homework and assessments, he would rapidly stuff the papers into his backpack with out wanting so nobody else would see. He was embarrassed to boost his hand to get assist, so Flournoy and his academics devised a system the place he would place a blue notice card on his desk when he wanted help.

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“He didn’t have lots of self-confidence in his talents to do nicely,” stated Flournoy, who labored with him for 30 to 45 minutes per week. She stated that weighed on him. “He was unhappy about that.”

Cruz, 23, pleaded responsible in October to murdering 14 college students and three workers members at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas Excessive Faculty on Feb. 14, 2018. The seven-man, five-woman jury will determine whether or not he’s sentenced to demise or life with out parole. They have to be unanimous to impose a demise sentence.

His public defenders are of their second week of presenting testimony about Cruz’s troubled life as they attempt to present that from his beginning to a crack-addicted, arduous ingesting prostitute who put him up for adoption via his childhood he had emotional and psychological issues that had been by no means adequately addressed.

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They’re making an attempt to beat the emotional, ugly and graphic proof and testimony the prosecution introduced over three weeks because it laid out the killings and his planning.

Flournoy, who didn’t need to testify however was subpoenaed by Cruz’s attorneys, stated that by eighth grade Cruz had such behavioral issues, resembling breaking the lavatory sink, that he was being escorted to his courses and at lunch. She believed he was making an attempt to get kicked out of Westglades and despatched to a college for college students with self-discipline issues.

She stated it will definitely turned evident to her that Westglades was not the suitable college for Cruz as a result of directors and academics had utilized all their sources to assist him, however nothing actually labored.

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Related Press author Freida Frisaro in Miami contributed to this report.