JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Prosecutors in the Parkland shooting case are calling for an investigation after a juror reported being threatened by a fellow juror during deliberations, according to court records and multiple published reports.
The state filed a motion asking Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer to ask law enforcement to interview the juror, according to CNN, which obtained the court filing. The filing does not identify the juror or say what sentence the juror favored.
The jury's verdict Thursday was for a life prison sentence, not death, for Nikolas Cruz, a decision reached in seven hours of deliberations after a trial that spanned months.
The motion by the Broward County State Attorney's Office was filed on Thursday evening after the jury decision, NBC News reported.
The judge has scheduled a hearing at 1 p.m. today to discuss the state's motion.
Families and loved ones of the victims expressed outrage and disappointment after Judge Scherer read the verdicts for each of the 17 murder victims. Although they jury found the crimes "heinous, atrocious and cruel," they found that mitigating factors outweighed such aggravating factors.
"This jury failed our families today," Fred Guttenberg said after the decision was read. His daughter, Jaime, was killed in the shooting. All other families speaking after the decision shared his sentiment.
"He took 17 lives...and now we've sent the message out to everyone, 'It's fine, get an AR-15'...you'll get off," said parent Anne Ramsay, whose daughter Helena was a victim.
Victims families will have an opportunity to address the judge before she pronounces the sentence on Nov. 1, but she cannot reverse the decision of the jury.
The 2018 mass killing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida left 17 students and teachers dead.