Attorneys for the Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz broke down in tears in a courtroom. Tamara Curtis and Nawal Najet Bashiman, public defenders representing gunman Cruz, were filmed wiping their tears after hearing gut-wrenching testimony of grieving parents whose children were killed in the Parkland massacre.
Parents were telling how their children were killed and their lives have been ruined by Cruz.
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Videos from the courtroom show, Bashiman listening to the emotional testimony of the victims’ parents. While hearing the parents, she suddenly broke down, she removed her mask and started wiping her tears.
Curtis also looked upset while hearing the victim impact statements.
The parents had been asked to speak as part of the sentencing phase of Cruz’s trial, where a jury will decide if he should be sentenced to death or life in prison without parole. If they do recommend death, Judge Elizabeth Scherer will make the final decision, likely sometime in the fall, according to Daily Mail.
The shooting took place in February 2018, when Cruz murdered 17 people and injured more than a dozen after he opened fire on students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Chief Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeil also dabbed her eyes with a tissue after Gena Hoyer said how much she misses her slain 15-year-old son Luke, whom she called “Lukey Bear.” “It’s excruciating agony. I am heartbroken. A piece of my heart is missing. My life and my family will never be the same,” Hoyer said through tears, according to Local 10.
More to follow
