Where Are Nikolas Cruz Parents Linda And Roger Cruz? What Happened To His Brother Zachary Cruz?

Where Are Nikolas Cruz Parents Linda And Roger Cruz? What Happened To His Brother Zachary Cruz?

On Monday, the defense team for Nikolas Cruz was found guilty of killing 17 people and injuring 17 others during a deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018, and began delivering its case. Cruz is charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of 17th-degree attempted murder in connection with the shooting.

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

He was a student at the school with a tendency for behavioral issues until February 2017, when he was transferred to an adult learning center. Before that, he was a student at the school.

Aside from that, the ongoing trial sheds light on the specifics of his mental health, which are alleged to have been damaged by his mother’s drinking problems.

Where Exactly Are Linda and Roger Cruz, Nikolas Cruz’s Adoptive Parents?
Nikolas Cruz was brought up by his adoptive family in Parkland, Florida, which is known for its wealth. Soon after Nikolas’s birth, his biological parents, Linda and Roger, adopted him with the help of a private attorney.

Both Roger and Lynda passed away before the boys reached adulthood; Roger passed away when the boys were still young, and Lynda passed away in November 2017, only two months before the tragedy.

The short version is that she passed away in November 2017 at the age of 68 from pneumonia. The previous year, her son had turned 18 years old. She was left to raise Nikolas and his brother, who were both adopted, on her own for a significant portion of their childhoods after the death of her marriage when Nikolas was a little child.

According to Paul Gold, a longtime neighbor of the Cruz family, Linda Cruz was a kind mother whose life was made difficult by the presence of her two kids who exhibited problematic behaviors.

Gold made the observation that “Nikolas had significant emotional disorders and had difficulty moderating his wrath.” He stated that Nikolas had a wonderful side to him, but that when he “freaked out,” Nikolas would “start throwing things, start breaking things, start grabbing his ears, and start shrieking.”

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

His biological mother, Brenda Woodard, has an extensive record of criminal activity.
The legal team representing Nikolas Cruz has asserted that the “irreparably shattered” state of their client’s brain was brought on by his biological mother’s usage of drugs and alcohol while she was pregnant with Nikolas Cruz.

Melissa McNeill, the lead public defender, stated in her opening statements that all of the “choices” the defendant made on the day in question were ultimately influenced by Brenda Woodard, his biological mother. This is despite the fact that the defendant was the one who “viciously murdered 17 people.”

She went on to explain that when his mother became pregnant, not only did she have no job, but she was also an alcoholic, a drug addict, and worked as a prostitute.

The attorney stated that the jury would hear from witnesses, including Cruz’s biological sister as well as a former friend and co-defendant, regarding Woodard’s ongoing use of alcohol, drugs, and tobacco while she was pregnant. The lawyer also stated that Cruz’s biological sister would be one of the witnesses.

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

According to Ms. McNeill, the jury needs to “understand the person behind the crime” before they can make a decision regarding whether Cruz “lives or dies.” She asserted that Cruz suffered from fetal alcohol spectrum illness (FASD).

Zachary Cruz, the Parkland Shooter’s Half-Brother, Is Now In His 20s
Brenda, who is Cruz’s real mother, became pregnant for a second time, but this time she was carrying a child for a different man. In 1999, she gave birth to his half-brother, Zachary, who was their shared 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. In a similar manner, 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 offenses such as assault, avoiding arrest, and credit card fraud are included here.

An advocate for Nikolas Cruz’s biological sister voiced some concerns to the judge just before the jury was brought into the courtroom, as was recently reported in the news.

On Monday, it is likely that Danielle Woodard, who is Cruz’s biological sister, would be questioned under oath by the prosecution.

Zach Rosenberg, the attorney who claimed to represent Woodard, stated that he had not been aware that she would be appearing today and that he did in fact represent her. He asked the judge to issue a protective order to keep her from testifying, and the judge granted his request.

Nikolas Cruz’s Brother
Nikolas Cruz’s Brother

Nikolas Cruz’s defense says his brain was ‘poisoned’ by birth mother’s addictions in death penalty trial:
An counsel for Nikolas Cruz asked the jury Monday to take into account the alleged Parkland school shooter’s troubled home background and major mental health problems while deciding whether or not to sentence him to death.

When we tell you Nik’s tale, when we tell you the chapters of his life, we will give you reasons to live,” a public defender named Melisa McNeill stated Monday inside a courtroom in the state of Florida. “This is referred to as mitigation. Any consideration that leads you to feel that the death penalty should not be applied in this instance constitutes a mitigating factor.”
Cruz allegedly displayed symptoms of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and antisocial personality disorder beginning at a young age, according to McNeill, who emphasized Cruz’s biological mother’s use of illicit substances and alcohol while she was carrying him.
“Because Nikolas was exposed to all of those substances while he was still in the womb, he contracted a disease. Because of this, the connections in his brain were irreparably shattered, and it was not his fault in any way “McNeill stated.

The remarks were made as part of the defense’s opening arguments in the trial of Nikolas Cruz, who is facing the death penalty for the shooting that took place in February 2018 at a high school in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed and 17 more were injured. It was the very first time that the jury had the opportunity to hear from Cruz’s defense team. His legal team postponed their initial opening comments, did not cross-examine any children or teachers who had survived the massacre, and simply questioned other witnesses about the most fundamental aspects of their testimony.
The defense also presented its first two witnesses, a lady who testified that Cruz’s biological mother took drugs and alcohol while she was pregnant and Cruz’s sister, who described life with a “terrible mother.” Both of these witnesses were summoned as part of the defense’s opening statement.

Cruz entered a guilty plea in October on 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder; the current phase of his criminal trial is to decide what punishment he would get on those charges. The state’s attorneys are requesting that Cruz be given a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole, while the prosecution is requesting that he be executed for his crime.

Prosecutors argued that Cruz was “cold, calculative, manipulative, and deadly” in carrying out his attack over the course of three weeks during the months of July and August. During this time, they called a number of students, teachers, police officers, and family members of victims to the stand as witnesses to the horrifying details of that day. In addition, the prosecutors took the jury members on a visit to the unreconstructed scene of the mass shooting that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018.

It is required for all members of the jury to agree in order for the death penalty to 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.

Additionally, geography teacher Scott Beigel, age 35, wrestling coach Chris Hixon, age 49, and assistant football coach Aaron Feis, age 37, were all slain while either sprinting toward the threat or attempting to aid kids in fleeing to safety.