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Attorney: Florida school shooter was a ‘damaged person’

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz watches as Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill gives the defense's opening statement during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz listens with Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill, left, as sentence mitigation specialist Kate O'Shea, a member of the defense team, speaks during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously pleaded guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Carolyn Deakins becomes emotional as she testifies about her drug and alcohol use in the 1990's with Brenda Woodard, the biological mother of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz, during the penalty phase of Cruz's trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Carolyn Deakins testifies about her drug and alcohol use in the 1990's with Brenda Woodard, the biological mother of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz, during the penalty phase of Cruz's trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz looks up as Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill gives the defense's opening statement during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill gives the defense's opening statement during the penalty phase of the trial of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz watches as Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill gives the defense's opening statement during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz watches as Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill gives the defense's opening statement during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz listens with Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill, left, as sentence mitigation specialist Kate O'Shea, a member of the defense team, speaks during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously pleaded guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Carolyn Deakins becomes emotional as she testifies about her drug and alcohol use in the 1990's with Brenda Woodard, the biological mother of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz, during the penalty phase of Cruz's trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Carolyn Deakins testifies about her drug and alcohol use in the 1990's with Brenda Woodard, the biological mother of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz, during the penalty phase of Cruz's trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz looks up as Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill gives the defense's opening statement during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill gives the defense's opening statement during the penalty phase of the trial of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz watches as Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill gives the defense's opening statement during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Monday, Aug. 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) FILE - Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill speaks in court before the start of the day's jury selection in the penalty phase of the trial of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on May 17, 2022. Attorneys for Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz are about to present their case Monday, Aug. 22 2022, for why they believe he should be sentenced to life in prison and not death. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool, File) FILE - Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz speaks with Capital defense attorney Casey Secor during the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Aug. 17, 2022. Attorneys for Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz are about to present their case Monday, Aug. 22 2022, for why they believe he should be sentenced to life in prison and not death. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool, File)
Attorney: Florida school shooter was a ‘damaged person’