FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The penalty phase of jury selection in the Parkland gunman's sentencing made progress Tuesday.
Phase 2 of jury selection picked up for the first time in nearly two weeks.
Even though the defense team moved forward with important questioning, they've made it clear that recent mass shootings around the country could cloud the case.
Attorneys are working to determine who can remain unbiased when deciding a sentence for Nikolas Cruz.
The convicted gunman pleaded guilty last year to killing 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
For nearly three hours, prosecutors and defense attorneys grilled jurors with a long list of questions about their position on the death penalty.
Days ago, the defense team asked Judge Elizabeth Scherer to put jury selection on hold indefinitely, filing a motion of continuance.
They cited the recent mass shootings in Buffalo and Texas would make it "impossible for Mr. Cruz to receive a fair trial at this time."
A potential juror Tuesday mentioned a death sentence in the case could potentially prevent another tragedy in the future.
"If imposing the death penalty on him would prevent some other wannabe mass murderer from doing it, that would have some weight with me for saying yes to the death penalty," the potential juror said.
Scherer has previously said the recent mass shooting in Texas would not delay this case as long as attorneys avoid specific questions about the incident.