It’s unusual, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t happen.
On Friday, prosecutors of Nikolas Cruz, a Florida school shooter, called for an investigation after one juror alleged that she was threatened during the case deliberation process; a case that will end up with Cruz being sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 17 people in Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, an incident that occurred four years ago.
During a brief hearing, Carolyn McCann, one of the prosecutors in the case, told Judge Elizabeth Scherer that they are not trying to invalidate the jury’s vote but are only reporting the case for safety reasons. In their written submission to the court, the prosecutors said that the juror informed them during the deliberations that another juror did something she perceived as a threat.
“We did not ask further questions regarding the allegations; we didn’t want to taint the investigation,” McCann added. McCann further noted that the Broward attorney had no intention of getting involved in the case.
Judge Scherer affirmed that if a crime was committed, then authorities should investigate.
David Weinstein and Richard Escobar, Florida criminal defense attorneys, said that even if a threat was made to one of the jurors, the decisions arrived on can’t be overturned since that would amount to trying the defendant twice for the same crime.
While speaking in interviews, Weinstein pointed out a 1990s case that involved two drug lords who bribed a jury and were acquitted. Even in that incident, the duo couldn’t be retried for drug trafficking; they were convicted on bribery charges.
“Two jurors tried to speak to me after the decision was announced; however, I told them that wouldn’t be appropriate,” Judge Scherer said. She added that one bailiff informed her that one juror wanted to talk to her. During the 50-minute process, the juror sat dejected but didn’t do anything, suggesting he wanted Judge Scherer’s attention. The jurors agreed that a life sentence was the panel’s decision, with the final vote tallying 9-3.
Under Florida’s law, there must be a unanimous vote for a death sentence to take place. In this case, there was none, prompting the jurors not to continue deliberation on the matter after one of the voters stayed adamant about changing her mind. And with this in mind, at a November 1, 2022, hearing, Judge Scherer will sentence the shooter to life imprisonment without parole, a decision that has left the affected families baffled and angered.
According to Benjamin Thomas, the jury foreman, the decision was down to one specific juror who maintained that Cruz was mentally ill. Cruz pleaded guilty a year ago to committing the atrocious act.
On Thursday, one juror sent a handwritten note to the judge defending her position for a life sentence while denying that she intended to change her vote before the trial.
“Deliberations were intense, and some jurors became infuriated once I mentioned that I would vote for life,” she added.