Parkland shooter’s lawyers face tough task in jury selection

By TERRY SPENCER
Associated Press

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Jury selection for Parkland, Florida, school shooter Nikolas Cruz is about to begin after four years of legal maneuvering and pandemic delays. When it starts Monday, his attorneys will attempt to find jurors who they think will vote against sentencing him to death for murdering 17 people. Perhaps 1,500 or more potential jurors are expected to be screened by prosecutors and defense attorneys. Ultimately, they will select 12 who indicate that they can put aside their knowledge of the 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and judge the case fairly. The 23-year-old Cruz has pleaded guilty to the murders; the jury will decide whether he is sentenced to death or life without parole.