Parkland Shooter’s Lawyers Say Terms Like ‘Killer’ & ‘Massacre’ Should Not Be Used During Trial
Socialites, get into this: Despite Nikolas Cruz confessing to the 2018 tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, which left 17 students and teachers dead, his public defender doesn’t want him to be referred to as a “killer” during his trial…
According to the New York Daily News, lawyers for Parkland School shooter Nikolas Cruz got into a dispute over language, saying he shouldn’t be referred to certain words.
His public defender Melisa McNeill contended during a Zoom hearing that phrases like “the massacre,” “the schoolhouse slaughter,” “an execution,” and other “inflammatory” terminology shouldn’t be used when discussing the shooting. “We are not making effort, as the state has alleged, to minimize or purify what happened,” McNeill said. “The evidence speaks for itself, and it’s not necessary to invite error into the record with these prejudicial references.” Despite her efforts, prosecutors ultimately dismissed McNeill’s line of reasoning.
“Especially when they adequately describe the defendant and what he did, what else do you call an event where somebody goes into a school and kills 17 innocent people?” prosecutor Nicole Chiappone said. “That is a massacre.”
Nikolas was charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder and is now looking at a potential death sentence.
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