FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—A judge rejected an attempt Monday by Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz’s attorneys to bar the parents and other relatives of his 17 victims from testifying before the jury about the trauma the murders have brought to their lives. Cruz’s public defenders wanted Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer to have the victim impact statements read aloud by a neutral third party or played on video to the jurors who will decide early next year whether he is sentenced to death or to life without parole. Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty in October to the February 2018 murders at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Attorney Tamara Curtis said allowing the parents and others to speak directly to the jury could result in “overly emotional displays” that would violate Cruz’s constitutional right to a fair trial. But Scherer agreed with prosecutors, who said the statements will be written in advance …
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