Jury selection begins in Parkland shooter’s assault case

“Some of you may have heard of Nikolas Cruz . ... We are not here for the Parkland shooting. You are not being asked to serve as a juror on the Parkland shooting case.”

A slow slog of jury selection began Tuesday in the jailhouse assault trial of the Parkland school shooter.

“Some of you may have heard of Nikolas Cruz,” Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer said, introducing herself and the defendant to the first group of panelists. “We are not here for the Parkland shooting. You are not being asked to serve as a juror on the Parkland shooting case.”

The specter of pre-trial publicity hangs over the proceedings, and Scherer is asking jurors about their knowledge of the Parkland case without going into detail about how many were shot and killed or the possibility of a death sentence. When she asked the first group, only a few indicated they would not be able to be unbiased.

She did not ask prospective jurors to go into detail about why they would be unbiased.

Two women were excused by the judge when they began crying shortly after seeing Cruz — the prospective jurors were not told what case they were being considered for until they entered the courtroom. A third woman became too emotional to answer questions and was also dismissed.

The first six of potentially 15 groups were screened

Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer

Tuesday, with 67 prospective jurors remaining from those.

Scherer said she intends to quiz more than 500 potential jurors in one day, fitting 32 at a time in her courtroom with partial social distancing measures in place. Those who make

it through the first round of the process, indicating they can be unbiased, will be asked to return Oct. 18.

A panel of six jurors and a handful of alternates will then be selected to serve on the jury.

Testimony is scheduled to begin Oct. 19.

Cruz, who has confessed to killing 17 and injuring 17 in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018, is accused of rushing a detention deputy at the Broward Main Jail in November of the same year. The two fought for about a

minute before the deputy, Sgt. Ray Beltran, subdued him.

Cruz is charged with battery on a law enforcement officer, depriving the officer of his stun gun, and attempting to use the weapon.

The altercation was captured on surveillance video — without accompanying audio. Cruz faces a likely prison term of 15 years if convicted in the jail assault case, and the death penalty if convicted of any of the murders.

Following the sudden illness of lead defense lawyer David Wheeler, the Broward Public Defender’s Office assigned attorney Gabe Ermine to the case, aided by Jaclyn Broudy, who was co-counsel with Wheeler.

AMY BETH BENNETT/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL Judge Elizabeth Scherer speaks with attorneys in a sidebar discussion prior to jury selection in the trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday on four criminal counts stemming from his alleged attack on a Broward jail guard in November 2018.