SENTENCING THE PARKLAND KILLER | DAY 9

Here are updates from Day 9 in the sentencing trial of confessed Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, 23; a jury will decide if he will be executed or sentenced to life in prison without parole. He pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Decision reversal: Judge Elizabeth Scherer decided Wednesday to preserve the first two weeks of jury selection after tossing them earlier this week. There are now more than enough jurors to move to the second phase of jury selection, which focuses on potential jurors’ views on the death penalty and whether they know too much about the case to be fair. The first two weeks of jury selection yielded 243 potential jurors. This week added nearly 150 to the list.

Missing jurors: Two potential jurors in the first Wednesday afternoon panel never made it to the courtroom. One refused to get on the elevator because he is claustrophobic and afraid of heights. The other one, after learning they were being considered for this case, never came back from lunch.

On the road: One juror told the judge he’s spending six weeks this summer driving an RV from South Florida to Portland, Oregon. “You’re brave,” the judge quipped.

Looking ahead: Jury selection continues Monday, when the 11 jurors who lawyers on both sides say were prematurely dismissed on April 5 are expected back in court. The first set of pre-screened jurors who have filled out questionnaires also will be back in court.

Go to SunSentinel.com/parkland-shooting for complete coverage of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy and ongoing coverage of the sentencing trial.

AMY BETH BENNETT/SOUTH FLORIDA SUN SENTINEL Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill speaks Wednesday with capital defense attorney Casey Secor prior to the start of the day’s jury pre-selection in the penalty phase of the trial of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale.