The jury will decide whether Nikolas Cruz, 23, receives the death sentence or life in prison without parole for the murders of 14 students and three staff members at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018.
Medical examiners paint a gruesome picture on Day 5 of Parkland sentencing trial
Day 5 of the sentencing trial for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz was marked by difficult testimony from police and medical examiners.
Broward County detective Danny Krystyan testifies
Medical examiner of Parkland victim Martin Duque testifies
Intense officer testimony on Day 5 of Parkland shooter sentencing trial
Testimony from police officers who responded to the scene at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School punctuated Friday's morning session of the Nikolas Cruz sentencing trial.
Detective David Alfin testifies
Sgt. Richard Vandereems of Broward Sheriff Office testifies
Coral Spring Police Captain Nicholas Mazzei testifies
Day 5 of Nikolas Cruz sentencing trial begins
Can Nikolas Cruz' Body language influence the jury?
Moments after Parkland shooting at center of Day 4 testimony
Testimony in Day 4 of the sentencing trial for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz focused on his movements after leaving Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Day 4 of Nikolas Cruz sentencing trial concludes
The fourth day of testimony in the death penalty sentencing trial of confessed Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz has concluded after a planned half-day schedule for Thursday,
Court is set to resume Friday at 10am ET.
Clint Williams of Broward County Sheriffs Office testifies
Coral Springs officer Kyle Greene testifies
Prosecution shows footage of Nikolas Cruz being arrested
Coconut Creek police officer Michael Leonard testifies
John Wilford, MSD student who sat next to Cruz at McDonalds, testifies
McDonalds employee Jose Delacruz testifies
Prosecution plays footage of Cruz at Subway after MSD shooting
Manager of Subway where Cruz stopped after shooting testifies
Former MSD student Benjamin Wikander testifies
Day 4 of Nikolas Cruz sentencing trial begins
Teacher testimony stands out on Day 3 of Parkland shooter sentencing trial
FORT LAUDERDALE - A Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School teacher gave heart-wrenching testimony Wednesday, recalling how a student in her Holocaust studies class correctly answered a question seconds before he became one of 17 people murdered by school shooter Nikolas Cruz.
Ivy Schamis was leading students through a discussion about the 1936 Olympics in Nazi Germany when Nick Dworet correctly answered that Adolf Dassler founded the Adidas shoe company, adding that Dassler's brother founded the rival Puma brand.
It was then they heard the first gunshots in the hallway, and Cruz began firing through the glass on her classroom door.
"It was really seconds later that the barrel of that AR-15 just ambushed our classroom. It came right through that glass panel and was just shooting everywhere. It was very loud. Very frightening. I kept thinking about these kids who should not be experiencing this at all," she testified, wiping her eyes with tissue.
Day 3 - Afternoon recess
MSD psychology teacher Ronit Reoven testifies
Former MSD student Sophia D'elia
"We heard screaming next door." - MSD teacher Juletta Matlock testifies
Former MSD teacher Ivy Schamis testifies
"They we're both instantly gone." - Former MSD High School student Genesis Valentin
Prosecution returns to video evidence on Day 3
Day 3 of Nikolas Cruz sentencing trial begins
Day 3: Here is what you can expect
Former Broward County prosecutor breaks down Day 2 of Parkland sentencing trial
Student testimony marks Day 2 of Parkland sentencing trial
Tuesday session concludes
Court is in recess for the remainder of the day and will resume at approximately 9:00 AM on Wednesday.
"While the shots were going, both my vision and hearing went away." - Former MSD High School Student Samantha Fuentes
Afternoon session resumes after recess
Tuesday afternoon's session of Nikolas Cruz's sentencing trial has resumed after a brief recess.
Judge Scherer Calls For 15min recess
Live coverage will resume when the jury returns from recess.
"I was grazed twice." - Former MSD High School student Isabel Chequer testifies
"You could smell the sulfur from the guns." - MSD High School teacher Dara Hass
Former MSD High School student and shooting victim Kheshava Mangapuram shares his testimony
Afternoon session begins.
Court is back in session after a two-hour lunch break.
Court To Resume After 1pm
Judge Elizabeth Scherer has announced a two-hour lunch break.
Court will resume after 1:00pm ET.
"I felt trickling down back of head." - Alexander Dworet testifies
"There was blood all over me." - Former MSD student William Olson testifies
McKenna identifies Cruz as Parkland school shooter
"Get out of here. Things are going to get bad." - Student recalls encountering Cruz
Video evidence at the center of Day 2 testimony
State calls electronic surveillance video expert witness
Ron Lowther of the Broward County Sheriffs Office is the State's first witness of the day:
Defense: Surveillance video violates Cruz's constitutional rights
Attorneys for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz open the second day of the sentencing trial with an objection to video evidence presented by the prosecution.
What to expect Tuesday?
Why didn't the Parkland shooter's defense make an opening statement?
Day 1 of Parkland shooter sentencing trial brings emotional testimony
Jurors dismissed for the day
Judge Elizabeth Scherer has dismissed jurors for the day. Court will be in recess until 9:00am ET on Tuesday.
Tune in to CBS 4 news at 5 for full coverage and legal experts breaking down today's opening statement from the prosecution and Day 1 witnesses.
Live coverage will resume on this blog tomorrow morning.
"He deserves to die"
Parkland dad Manuel Oliver isn't holding back about what the school shooter's punishment should be.
"I think that he deserves to die. The fact that Florida has the death penalty, if it's not for these kinds of cases, I don't know why do we have it," Manuel said.
He said even if the jury recommends death when this is over, it doesn't compare to how Joaquin and the 16 others died.
"Joaquin was chased by a guy with an AR-15 and then he was shot four times. He suffered while dying, he was an innocent person, and also were the other 16," he said.
Cruz defense team requests a mistrial
Attorneys for Nikolas Cruz requested a mistrial. They argued that emotional outbursts from members of victims' families during video shown as part of Dylan Kraemer's testimony would influence the jury.
The request was denied by Judge Elizabeth Scherer.
"Bullets came through the window." - Dylan Kraemer
"We were kind of like sitting ducks." - Danielle Gilbert
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School teacher Brittany Sinitch recalls her experiences
Technical issues delay restart of court proceedings
A technical issue Monday afternoon briefly delayed court proceedings after the jury returned from lunch break.
The judge sent jurors back to the jury room while they worked on fixing an issue with a computer.
It happened after Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School teacher Brittany Sinitch took the stand.
The live feed will resume as soon as the technology issues have been resolved.
Who is lead prosecutor Mike Satz?
Mike Satz, 80, who delivered the state's opening statement on Monday morning, spent 44 years as Broward County's state attorney and appointed himself lead prosecutor shortly after the Parkland shootings. He did not seek a 12th term and left office in early 2021, but his successor, Harold Pryor, kept him on the case.
Jury on lunch break until 1:15 p.m.
Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer told jurors to be back from lunch by 1:15 p.m.
Victims family members in tears during prosecutor's opening statement
Prosecutor on Parkland shooter: "Cold, calculated, manipulative and deadly"
Lead prosecutor Mike Satz spoke of Nikolas Cruz's brutality during Monday's opening statements as he stalked a three-story classroom building, firing his AR-15 semi-automatic rifle down hallways and into classrooms.
Cruz sometimes walked back to wounded victims and killed them with a second volley of shots.
"Cold, calculated, manipulative and deadly" was how Satz described him, describing a video Cruz made three days before the massacre.
Click here for more.
Prosecutor describes scene at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School when first responders arrived
Satz: Cruz stopped to eat at Subway after shooting
Cruz: "I'm going to be the next school shooter of 2018."
Prosecutor: Cruz armed with tactical vest and 10 magazines
Prosecutor Lays out case before presenting evidence
"I'm going to speak to you about the unspeakable, about this defendant's goal-directed planned, systematic murder — mass murder — of 14 children, an athletic director, a teacher and a coach." - Prosecutor Michael J. Satz
Prosecutor discusses surveillance footage from inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Opening statements begin
Lead prosecutor Michael Satz stood before the jurors and began his opening statements.
Meanwhile, inside the courtroom...
Nikolas Cruz remains with his head down, jotting down notes on a piece of paper. He was also seen passing some notes to his attorney.
Juror denies discussing Parkland trial
Judge Elizabeth Scherer reminds jurors of their responsibilities
Judge Elizabeth Scherer reminded jurors of the rules regarding the case. She asked the jurors if they understood and they all said "yes."
The judge briefed the jury once again on what aggravating and mitigating factors are. She reminded the jury that they all need to be in agreement to sentence Cruz to death.
The state has the burden to prove each aggravating factor beyond reasonable doubt.
Who is in the jury for the Parkland shooter sentencing trial?
Judge questions juror
A juror was called to the stand under oath in regards to discussing the case at a doctor's office allegedly she said stuff regarding the trial and her thoughts on the death penalty. Prosecutors brought it to the judge's attention. The judge said this juror has always been forthcoming and since she denied it under oath, she is going to take her word for it. Prosecutors asked for a 2 min. recess.
What to expect during the Parkland shooter sentencing trial
Defense for Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz asks for 45-day continuance
The defense for Nikolas Cruz asked for a 45-day continuance on Monday morning before opening statements were to begin.
They said a mental health professional needs time to prepare for a proper evaluation of their client.
The final phase of the sentencing trial of the Parkland school shooter was scheduled to get underway Monday morning.
Opening statements iwere set for 9 a.m.
CBS News Miami will stream the proceeding from "gavel to gavel."
