FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Following a series of delays over the last few months in the sentencing trial for the convicted Parkland school shooter, jury selection is entering its final phase
There's no question this is going to be an emotional trial, and that's been one of the most challenging factors during this ongoing jury selection process.
Wednesday came with another round of stringent questions as prosecutors and defense attorneys peel through more waves of potential jurors.
Each prospective juror was asked to share their personal views of the death penalty.
They were called on to discuss if they could remain fair and impartial when sentencing Nikolas Cruz, who confessed last year to killing 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
"I feel like for the crime — as brutal as it was — yes, I think that my first stance on it would be that I would have no problem with the death penalty," one prospective juror said.
Others said they were too close to the case, including a carpenter who is in the process of changing the school locks of all classrooms within the Broward County School District.
"They assigned me to change every classroom lock in Broward County for security purposes after what happened," the prospective juror said in court Wednesday. "Because they don't want any door to be unlocked just in case an intruder goes in."
That person was excused from the case.
Once the jury is selected, they'll hear four to five months of testimony.
The only way the death sentence will be imposed is if all 12 jurors vote to agree.