Nikolas Cruz sentencing trial: Jurors visit Parkland school shooting site amid gunman’s penalty phase

Nikolas Cruz's trial entered another day when jurors visited the site of the mass shooting, the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Four years ago, the school witnessed one of the deadliest school shootings in the country. Roses brought to honor love on that Valentine's Day in 2018 lay withered, their dried and cracked petals scattered across classroom floors still smeared with the blood of victims gunned down by a former student.

Nothing has changed, even though four years have passed. There were bullet holes in the walls along with shards of glass due to the gunfire. The Parkland school still had an eerie feel of things that occurred on that fateful day. The massacre led to the death of 14 students and three staff members.

Judge Elizabeth Scherer also explained that the jurors' visit to the school was to help them analyze the evidence presented so far.

Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder and as per Florida law. The decision to give him the death penalty or life without parole is now up to the jury members.

---

Nikolas Cruz's trial filled with powerful testimonies, photographs, and video footage as evidence

From powerful testimonies to photographs of the massacre, including video evidence, Nikolas Cruz's trial had it all. On Thursday, jurors even visited the site of the Parkland school shooting. They were accompanied by prosecutors, Nikolas Cruz's lawyers and the judge to the school complex that lay abandoned following the horror unleashed in 2018. However, Nikolas Cruz refused to be part of the trip.

No one was allowed to speak once they reached the crime scene. Blood-stained and bullet holes filled the halls of “Building 12.” A lot of things remained untouched, only personal belongings like backpacks and dead bodies were removed from the place.

In one of the rooms -- 1255, the white board read, "How to write the perfect love letter," likely an assignment for the day as it was Valentine's Day. Meanwhile, in another room, 1249, reporters who were allowed to enter after the jurors saw an unfinished game of chess.

The jurors were also instructed to "avoid touching, manipulating or moving anything." The judge also told them to explore the scene on their own and at their own pace, moving as a group from floor to floor.

Speaking about the visit, Miami defense attorney David S. Weinstein said that prosecutors hope it would be:

"The final piece in erasing any doubt that any juror might have had that the death penalty is the only recommendation that can be made."

However, Nikolas Cruz's lawyers argued that prosecutors are presenting pieces of evidence that "inflame the jurors' passions."

As per reports, Broward County School District will consider demolishing the building once the verdict has been delivered.

Usually, it is not common for jurors to visit the site of the crime. However, prosecutors maintained that it was imperative given Florida’s capital punishment law.

As per the law, the death penalty will only be given when the jurors unanimously vote for it. If they do not, Nikolas Cruz will be sentenced to life in prison.