FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday in the penalty phase of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz's murder trial.
Cruz previously pleaded guilty to all 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder, but a jury still must be selected to determine his fate.
Jurors will be asked to decide whether the 23-year-old should spend the rest of his life in prison, without the possibility of parole, or be put to death for his crimes on Feb. 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Broward County Judge Elizabeth Scherer, prosecutors and Cruz's defense team will spend the next few weeks trying to seat an impartial jury of 12 people, along with six to eight alternates.
Among the challenges they'll face are finding potential jurors who haven't already formulated an opinion on Cruz that could sway their decision and who can commit to seeing it through, possibly into September.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the purpose of jury selection is to find a number of people who can follow the law and serve as fair and impartial jurors," Scherer told the court Monday morning.
Once a jury is seated, prosecutors will present their case as to why Cruz deserves to die for his crimes, while defense attorneys will attempt to explain how mitigating factors led to Cruz's actions in the hopes that jurors will spare his life.
Whatever the decision, it must be reached unanimously.