MIAMI – The jury hearing the case against the Parkland school shooter was told Wednesday afternoon that they would be allowed to view the crime scene at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Thursday.
The jury is deciding whether the shooter will spend life in prison or be sentenced to death.
Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder last fall.
The jury will be transported to the Marjorie Stoneman Douglas campus Thursday morning and be allowed to walk through the 1200 building where the massacre happened in 2018.
The Broward Sheriff’s Office will transport the jury.
They will be allowed to view the hallway and classrooms where the shooter used an AR-15 assault rifle to carry out the massacre.
The jury will not be allowed to talk, touch anything, or make any recording of what they see.
On Wednesday, the defense announced they have filed a waiver so the shooter will not be returning to the crime scene.
The jury also heard more impact statements from families who lost loved ones in the massacre.
Among them, are Tony and Jennifer Montalto whose 14-year-old daughter Gina was killed.
They described the devastating effects on their family.
“Gina was kind, smart, and loved to read,” her father Tony said as he recalled Gina saving a 2-year-old from drowning when Gina was just 10 years old.
Max Schacter said his family is broken too.
His 14-year-old son Alex died in the mass shooting.
“Part of me will always be sad,” said Schacter.
Once a widower, Schacter spoke of the lasting effects his son’s sudden violent death has had on his new blended family.
His fiancé and her daughters
His son Brian read a poem that Alex had written and thrown in the trash before the day of the killings.
The poem was entitled “Life is like a roller coaster” and relates how the ups and downs of life resemble a fast-moving roller coaster.
Max Schacter has recited the poem on several occasions to honor his son’s memory and illustrate the loss of a promising writer.