A juror complaint in the aftermath of the Parkland shooter’s trial is sparking calls for an investigation and, apparently, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ hope that the school shooter won’t live out the rest of his natural days in prison.
But despite the complaint, it seems the life sentence is likely to stick.
The trial ended with a jury verdict that the shooter will not be executed for killing 17 people, as he confessed to doing in the halls of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day 2018. Florida law requires jurors to unanimously agree to approve the death penalty. And there were three holdouts, according to what the jury foreman told CBS Miami. The specter that Cruz could live to old age produced near-unanimous shock and anger.
And, at Friday’s news conference, the Governor was among them.
“The state of Florida has executed people in our history who’ve committed really dastardly crimes, but crimes that didn’t reach this level of carnage, and yet somehow he’s going to be living off taxpayer expense for what, 50 years, 60 years,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Cape Coral. “His victims didn’t get that luxury to be able to live out those decades.”
“And, if you have something like capital punishment available in a case like that has got to be administered,” DeSantis said.
The Sun-Sentinel reported Friday morning that a juror reported a threat during deliberations. And an afternoon hearing into whether police can interview that juror has been scheduled.
Apparently, the Governor has questions.
“I know that the prosecutors are pursuing some things with the jury and I think that they should do that,” DeSantis said.
“Did you have jurors that were just never going to do this (approve of the death penalty) no matter what? That’s not the way this system is supposed to work. What was going on? There may have been something that went on. So I think whatever legal process they have and legal tools they have available, I think they should use it because I do think it was a miscarriage of justice.”
The state’s motion seems to indicate a crime against an individual juror, however.
“Juror X spoke to a support staff member (at the State Attorney’s Office) and informed the support staff member during deliberations she received what she perceived to be a threat from a fellow juror while in the jury room,” the state’s motion reads.
That report comes in addition to another note written to Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Scherer, who presided over the shooter’s trial. A juror wrote to her about the atmosphere during deliberations. Juror Denise Cunha told the judge that other jurors became angry when she made it clear she would not vote for Cruz to get the death penalty, the Sun-Sentinel reported.
The Sun Sentinel is reporting that Cunha is not the same person who called the State Attorney’s Office with reports of a threat from a fellow juror.
Still, DeSantis said he was “thankful that it looks like the prosecutors may be pursuing.” But then the Yale Law School graduate added, “Look, I don’t know how those avenues are worked out.”
And it’s unlikely to change the outcome. As the Sun-Sentinel explained, “allegations of juror misconduct raised after trial cannot change the outcome when it’s in the defendant’s favor.”
The Governor’s real beef might be the way a 2016 U.S. Supreme Court struck down Florida’s death penalty law. At that time, Florida was one of three states that allowed a simple majority of jurors to recommend the death penalty, according to the New York Times.
The overall situation has DeSantis calling for a reevaluation anyway.
“We need to do some reforms to be better serving victims of crimes and the families of crime victims and not always bend over backwards to try to do everything we need to do for the perpetrators of crimes,” he said.
The post Gov. DeSantis vents anew over Parkland shooter life imprisonment verdict appeared first on Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..
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