Prosecutors said that Zachary had been “heard observing how popular name is now” and questioned whether the fame would help to attract female attention.
Zachary, who turned 18 one week after the mass shooting, told police he had gone to the school to “reflect on the school shooting and soak it all in”, according to an arrest report. Cruz is accused of opening fire at Marjory Stoneman. He visited the site of the massacre at least three times and – after being warned to stay away – was charged with trespassing, authoritied said. Zachary Cruz cries as his brother, Nikolas Cruz is arraigned at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, March 14, 2018. In the hours after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Zachary was allowed to meet with his brother in the police station, with footage later released to the media.Īfter that, he was accused of becoming fascinated with the fame his brother was getting. In November 2018 – just three months before the school shooting – Lynda died at the age of 68, leaving the two boys orphaned. In total, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office had 43 contacts with the Cruz family prior to the Parkland massacre, 21 of which involved Cruz alone or both him and his brother, according to official records. In the decade before the 2018 attack, Lynda appeared to struggle with both of her sons’ behaviour and called police to the family home dozens of times. Lynda, Nikolas, Roger and Zachary Cruz from left to right (Law & Crime) When Cruz was five and Zachary four, Roger died, leaving Lynda to raise the two boys alone. Unlike Zachary and Cruz, Danielle did grow up with Woodard, other biological relatives and lived in foster care. The brothers also have an older sister Danielle Woodard who also shares the same birth mother. When Cruz was born, he was adopted by the Cruz parents.Īround one year later, Zachary was born and was also adopted by the Cruz parents who raised the boys together. Woodard had a long history of drug and alcohol abuse and a long rap sheet dating back to at least the 1980s. The boys’ birth mother was Brenda Woodard who, at the time of her pregnancy with Cruz, was homeless, an alcoholic, a drug addict and working as a prostitute. Zachary has the same biological mother as Cruz and was also adopted by Lynda and Roger Cruz. Here’s what we know about Cruz’s younger brother: Early life
#ZACHARY CRUZ NIKOLAS BROTHER TRIAL#
While the trial is casting more of a spotlight on Cruz and his actions leading up to the mass shooting, Zachary also hit headlines in the aftermath of the attack. On Valentine’s Day 2018, Cruz took an Uber to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, armed with an AR-15 style rifle and gunned down students and staff.įourteen students and three educators were killed in the massacre. Zacharay, who is 14 months younger than his 23-year-old murderer brother, has stood by Cruz ever since he carried out one of the deadliest school shootings in US history. Zachary Cruz, 22, is expected to testify for the defence in Cruz’s sentencing trial, where a jury will decide whether to give him to life in prison without the possibility of parole or the death penalty. On October 15, Cruz appeared in court wearing chinos, a blue sweater and a white shirt before entering his guilty plea to a separate battery assault charge involving an attack on a jail guard.The brother of Parkland mass shooter Nikolas Cruz is believed to be starring in a reality show about his life and was previously charged with trespassing at the school where his brother murdered 17 innocent people. Last week, Judge Elizabeth Scherer accepted that Nikolas Cruz wanted to change his plea in the case. “It brings me nightmares.” “If I were to get a second chance I would do everything in my power to try to help others,” he said.Īddressing relatives of the victims, Cruz said, “I believe it’s your decision to decide where I go, whether I live or die, not the jury’s.” Relatives of some of the victims were among the spectators in the courtroom and wiped away tears as a prosecutor recounted the attack in chilling detail. “I am very sorry for what I did and I have to live with it every day,” he said. Zacharay, who is 14 months younger than his 23-year-old murderer brother, has stood by Cruz ever since he carried out one of the deadliest school shootings in US history. People are brought out of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after a former student opened fire and killed 17 at the school in Parkland, Florida.Ī Broward County spokesperson told The Sun: “The District does not comment on potential, pending or ongoing litigation.”įollowing his guilty pleas, Cruz, who is now 23, apologised to the relatives of his victims.
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