Where are Nikolas Cruz’s parents, Linda and Roger Cruz? What happened to his brother Zachary Cruz? |All Social Updates

Where are Nikolas Cruz’s parents, Linda and Roger Cruz? What happened to his brother Zachary Cruz?

On Monday, Nikolas Cruz’s defense team was found guilty of killing 17 and wounding 17 others in a fatal shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. on February 14, 2018, and began the arraignment. Cruz faces 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in connection with the shooting.

It ended up being one of the deadliest school shootings in United States history. Cruz went on a shooting spree when he was 19 and shot several people. In October, he entered a guilty plea to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.

He was a student at the school with behavioral disorders until February 2017 when he was transferred to an adult education center. Before that he was a student at the school.

That said, the ongoing trial sheds light on the ins and outs of his mental health, which is said to have been damaged by his mother’s drinking problems.

Where exactly are Linda and Roger Cruz, Nikolas Cruz’s adoptive parents?

Nikolas Cruz grew up with his adoptive family in Parkland, Florida, which is known for its wealth. Shortly after Nikolas was born, his biological parents, Linda and Roger, adopted him with the help of a private attorney.

Both Roger and Lynda died before the boys reached adulthood; Roger died when the boys were young and Lynda died in November 2017, just two months before the tragedy.

The short version is that she died of pneumonia in November 2017 at the age of 68. Her son turned 18 last year. She was left to raise Nikolas and his brother, both of whom were adopted, alone for a significant portion of her childhood after the death of her marriage when Nikolas was a young child.

According to Paul Gold, a longtime neighbor of the Cruz family, Linda Cruz was a kind mother whose life was complicated by the presence of her two children, who exhibited problematic behavior.

Gold observed that “Nikolas had significant emotional disorders and had trouble controlling his anger.” He explained that Nikolas had a wonderful side to him, but that when Nikolas “freaked out,” Nikolas “started throwing things breaking things, started grabbing his ears and started screaming”.

The Sun-Sentinel, based on Lynda Cruz’s cousin’s testimony, stated that Nikolas knocked out his mother’s teeth and that at the time of her death she still paid the $2,000 in dental expenses. This information was obtained from the testimony of Lynda Cruz’s cousin.

His birth mother, Brenda Woodard, has an extensive record of criminal activity.

The legal team representing Nikolas Cruz have claimed that the “irreparable” condition of their client’s brain was caused by his birth mother’s drug and alcohol use while she was pregnant with Nikolas Cruz.

Melissa McNeill, the lead public defender, said in her opening statement that all of the “decisions” made by the defendant on the day in question were ultimately influenced by Brenda Woodard, his birth mother. And this despite the fact that the accused was the one who “viciously murdered 17 people”.

She further explained that when she became pregnant his mother was not only unemployed but also an alcoholic, drug addict and working as a prostitute.

The attorney said the jury would hear witnesses, including Cruz’s birth sister and a former girlfriend and co-defendant, about Woodard’s continued use of alcohol, drugs and tobacco during her pregnancy. The attorney also stated that Cruz’s biological sister would be one of the witnesses.

According to the Independent, McNeil stated that he used smoke, crack and alcohol during his pregnancy as a form of prenatal care. In contrast, he now has brain damage as a result that cannot be repaired.

According to Ms McNeill, the jury must “understand the person behind the crime” before making a decision on whether Cruz “lives or dies.” She claimed that Cruz suffered from fetal alcohol spectrum disease (FASD).

Zachary Cruz, the parkland shooter’s half-brother, is now in his 20s

Brenda, Cruz’s real-life mother, became pregnant for the second time, but this time she was carrying a child for another man. In 1999, she gave birth to his half-brother, Zachary, who was their mutual sibling.

The same adoptive parents, Linda and Roger, also adopted his half-brother and the two brothers have the same half-sister, Daniella Woodard, who is now 31 years old. Similarly, his adoptive parents also adopted his half-brother.

According to the court documents, Daniella, who currently resides in Miami, has a history of criminal activity. Convictions for felonies such as assault, evasion of arrest, and credit card fraud are included here.

An attorney for Nikolas Cruz’s birth sister expressed some concerns to the judge just before the jury was brought into the courtroom, the news recently reported.

Cruz’s birth sister, Danielle Woodard, is likely to be questioned under oath by prosecutors on Monday.

Zach Rosenberg, the attorney claiming to represent Woodard, stated that he did not know she was appearing today and that he was, in fact, representing her. He asked the judge to issue a protective order to keep her from testifying, and the judge granted his request.

Nikolas Cruz’s defense says his brain was “poisoned” by birth mother’s addiction in death penalty trial:

An attorney for Nikolas Cruz on Monday asked the jury to consider the troubled family background and major mental health problems of the alleged Parkland school gunman when deciding whether or not to sentence him to death.

When we tell you Nik’s story, when we tell you the chapters of his life, we’re going to give you reasons to live,” a public defender named Melisa McNeill said Monday in a Florida courtroom. “That’s called mitigation. Any consideration that leads you to believe that the death penalty should not be imposed in this case constitutes a mitigating circumstance.”
According to McNeill, Cruz allegedly showed symptoms of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and antisocial personality disorder from a young age, which emphasized Cruz’s biological mother’s use of illegal substances and alcohol while carrying him.
“Because Nikolas was exposed to all of these substances while still in the womb, he contracted an illness. Because of this, the connections in his brain were destroyed beyond repair and it was in no way his fault,” McNeill said.

The remarks were made as part of the defense’s opening arguments in the trial of Nikolas Cruz, who faces the death penalty for the February 2018 shooting that took place at a high school in Parkland, Florida, in which 17 people were killed and 17 others were injured . It was the first time the jury had had an opportunity to hear from Cruz’s defense team. His legal team deferred their initial opening statements, did not interrogate children or teachers who survived the massacre, and simply questioned other witnesses on the most basic aspects of their testimony.
The defense also presented its first two witnesses, a lady who testified that Cruz’s biological mother used drugs and alcohol during her pregnancy, and Cruz’s sister, who described living with a “horrible mother.” Both witnesses were subpoenaed as part of the defense’s opening statement.

Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in October; The current stage of his criminal trial is to determine what sentence he would receive on these charges. Prosecutors are asking that Cruz be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, while prosecutors are asking that he be executed for his crime.

Prosecutors argued that Cruz was “cold, calculating, manipulative and deadly” as he carried out his attack over a three-week period in July and August. During this time, they called a number of students, teachers, police officers and families of victims to the witness stand to witness the horrifying details of that day. In addition, prosecutors took jury members to visit the unreconstructed scene of the February 14, 2018 mass shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

All members of the jury must agree before the death penalty can be recommended for Cruz.
Students Alyssa Alhadeff, 14, Martin Duque Anguiano, 14, Jaime Guttenberg, 14, Luke Hoyer, 15, Cara Loughran, 14, Gina Montalto, 14, Joaquin Oliver, 17, Alaina Petty, 14, Meadow Pollack, 18, Helena Ramsay, 17, Alex Schachter, 14, Carmen Schentrup, 16, and Peter Wang, 14, were among those who lost their lives in the shooting.

Also, geography teacher Scott Beigel, 35, wrestling coach Chris Hixon, 49, and soccer assistant coach Aaron Feis, 37, were killed while either sprinting towards the threat or trying to help children escape to safety.