Florida high school shooter’s penalty trial set to begin

By TERRY SPENCER
Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The penalty trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz is about to begin. Opening statements will be made and the first witnesses called Monday. Jurors will decide whether the 23-year-old Cruz will be executed or sentenced to life without parole for the 2018 massacre of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The prosecution is expected to emphasize the cruelty and merciless nature of the shootings. The defense will argue that the former Stoneman Douglas student suffered from mental and emotional problems his entire life and was abused. The trial is expected to last four months.