Florida | Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz's disturbing prison drawings revealed as he pleaded for death

Cruz's drawings from jail show figures shooting rifles and disturbing phrases

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA: A series of images released show Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz behind bars scrawled '666' on the wall of a prison cell in his own blood. This week, the Broward County Sheriff's Office released a collection of disturbing sketches and notes, including the Satanic cellblock graffiti he scrawled on the wall in May. Sitting at the defense table, the confessed shooter had his head down and was watched by the camera as he doodled, according to WSVN TV.

Cruz, now 23, opened fire on February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 14 students and three staff members. After pleading guilty in October to 17 counts of first-degree murder, a trial is underway to determine his sentence. Cruz's attorneys began their defense Monday, August 22, in an effort to convince the jury - made up of seven men and five women - to sentence him to life in prison without the possibility of parole rather than death.

The 23-year-old drew images of the devil and images that appeared to show the Valentine's Day 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in the 30 pages of eerie writings.

On one of the pages, Cruz discussed the issue the jury is yet to decide. He wrote, "All I want is to go to death row," according to WSVN. "I do not want life please help me go to death row!!!" On several pages, there are declarations of love for Satan as well as images of various weapons and ammunition. WSVN reporter posted the photo of Cruz's drawing of anti-christ number '666' and wrote, "As the defense for Nikolas Cruz starts their case to try and spare his life, a newly released photo shows a "666" he drew on the wall of his jail cell using his own blood. His defense attorney made a reference to this during her opening statement."

"I do not want to be bothered by anyone or anything, I can't wait to die. Blood, blood. I only wanna see blood," Cruz wrote on other pages. In addition to pentagrams and drawings of monstrous faces, the phrase "Hail Satan!" is written on several pages, along with the number 666, also known as the "number of the devil."

According to Local 10 News, a Florida TV station, Cruz was placed on suicide watch in May because of these drawings. Melisa McNeill, a deputy public defender, made only passing mention of Cruz's troubling behavior in her opening statement Monday.

It was a hint that this would be raised when the defense made its case to try to save his life. "The evidence will show you that he draws a lot of bad things and that he continues to do that stuff over at the Broward County main jail,” McNeill said.

In her opening statement on Monday, which was postponed from the trial's first day on July 18, Cruz's lead attorney, Melisa McNeill, mentioned the drawings. "One day he wants to live and one day he wants to die," McNeill stated. While admitting there is no excuse for what Cruz did, McNeill urged the jury to take various things into account as her team presents its case over several weeks.

On Monday, the jury was informed that Cruz's birth mother's abuse of crack cocaine and alcohol during her pregnancy caused his brain to be "irretrievably broken." The prosecution, which is seeking the death penalty, presented its case for three weeks, including emotional testimonies from the victims' parents.

Source: meaww.com, Srinija Grandhi, August 23, 2022

🚩 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com.

Opposed to Capital Punishment? Help us keep this blog up and running! DONATE!

"One is absolutely sickened, not by the crimes that the wicked have committed,
but by the punishments that the good have inflicted." -- Oscar Wilde

Singapore executes three drug mules over two days

Singapore hanged three people for drug offences last week, bringing the total number of executions to 17 this year - the highest since 2003. These come a week before a constitutional challenge against the death penalty for drug offences is due to be heard. Singapore has some of the world's harshest anti-drug laws, which it says are a necessary deterrent to drug crime, a major issue elsewhere in South East Asia. Anyone convicted of trafficking - which includes selling, giving, transporting or administering - more than 15g of diamorphine, 30g of cocaine, 250g of methamphetamine and 500g of cannabis in Singapore will be handed the death sentence.

Florida | After nearly 50 years on death row, Tommy Zeigler seeks final chance at freedom

The Winter Garden Police chief was at a party on Christmas Eve 1975 when he received a phone call from his friend Tommy Zeigler, the owner of a furniture store on Dillard Street. “I’ve been shot, please hurry,” Zeigler told the chief as he struggled for breath. When police arrived at the store, Zeigler, 30, managed to unlock the door and then collapsed “with a gaping bullet hole through his lower abdomen,” court records show. In the store, detectives found a gruesome, bloody crime scene and several guns. Four other people — Zeigler’s wife, his in-laws and a laborer — lay dead.

Louisiana death row inmate freed after nearly 30 years as overturned conviction upends case

A Louisiana man who spent nearly 30 years on death row walked out of prison Wednesday after a judge overturned his conviction and granted him bail. Jimmie Duncan, now in his 60s, was sentenced to death in 1998 for the alleged rape and drowning of his girlfriend’s 23-month-old daughter, Haley Oliveaux — a case long clouded by disputed forensic testimony. His release comes months after a state judge ruled that the evidence prosecutors used to secure the conviction was unreliable and rooted in discredited bite-mark analysis.

Oklahoma board recommends clemency for inmate set to be executed next week

A voting board in Oklahoma decided Wednesday to recommend clemency for Tremane Wood, a death row inmate who is scheduled to receive a lethal injection next week at the state penitentiary in McAlester. Wood, 46, faces execution for his conviction in the 2001 murder of Ronnie Wipf, a migrant farmworker, at an Oklahoma City hotel on New Year's Eve, court records show. The recommendation was decided in a 3-2 vote by the Oklahoma Pardon and Parole Board, consisting of five members appointed by either the governor or the state's top judicial official, according to CBS News affiliate KWTV. Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Sitt will consider the recommendation as he weighs whether to grant or deny Wood's clemency request, which would mean sparing him from execution and reducing his sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Vietnam | Woman sentenced to death for poisoning 4 family members with cyanide

A woman in Dong Nai Province in southern Vietnam was sentenced to death on Thursday for killing family members including two young children in a series of cyanide poisonings that shocked her community. The Dong Nai People's Court found 39-year-old Nguyen Thi Hong Bich guilty of murder and of illegally possessing and using toxic chemicals. Judges described her actions as "cold-blooded, inhumane and calculated," saying Bich exploited the trust of her victims and "destroyed every ethical bond within her family."

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers carry out public execution in sports stadium

The man had been convicted of killing 13 members of a family, including children, and was executed by one of their relatives, according to police. Afghanistan's Taliban authorities carried out the public execution of a man on Tuesday convicted of killing 13 members of a family, including several children, earlier this year. Tens of thousands of people attended the execution at a sports stadium in the eastern city of Khost, which the Supreme Court said was the eleventh since the Taliban seized power in 2021 in the wake of the chaotic withdrawal of US and NATO forces.

Afghanistan | Two Sons Of Executed Man Also Face Death Penalty, Says Taliban

The Taliban governor’s spokesperson in Khost said on Tuesday that two sons of a man executed earlier that day have also been sentenced to death. Their executions, he said, have been postponed because the heir of the victims is not currently in Afghanistan. Mostaghfer Gurbaz, spokesperson for the Taliban governor in Khost, also released details of the charges against the man executed on Tuesday, identified as Mangal. He said Mangal was accused of killing members of a family.

Utah | Ralph Menzies dies on death row less than 3 months after his execution was called off

Judge was set to consider arguments in December about Menzies’ mental fitness Ralph Menzies, who spent more than 3 decades on Utah’s death row for the 1986 murder of Maurine Hunsaker, has died. Menzies, 67, died of “presumed natural causes at a local hospital” Wednesday afternoon, according to the Utah Department of Corrections. Matt Hunsaker, Maurine Hunsaker’s son, said Menzies’ death “was a complete surprise.” “First off, I’d say that I’m numb. And second off, I would say, grateful,” Hunsaker told Utah News Dispatch. “I’m grateful that my family does not have to endure this for the holidays.”

Iran carries out public hanging of "double-rapist"

Iran on Tuesday publicly executed a man after convicting him of raping two women in the northern province of Semnan. The execution was carried out in the town of Bastam after the Supreme Court upheld the verdict, the judiciary's official outlet Mizan Online reported. Mizan cited the head of the provincial judiciary, Mohammad Akbari, as saying the ruling had been 'confirmed and enforced after precise review by the Supreme Court'. The provincial authority said the man had 'deceived two women and committed rape by force and coercion', adding that he used 'intimidation and threats' to instil fear of reputational harm in the victims.

Kuwait | New Anti-Drug Law Introduces Death Penalty, Surprise Testing, and Strict Enforcement

KUWAIT CITY, Nov 26: Divorce rates in Kuwait are rising, with recent statistics indicating that addiction—particularly among wives—has become a significant contributing factor. In response, authorities are preparing to introduce surprise premarital drug testing as part of a broader set of reforms under Kuwait’s new drug law. The countdown has officially begun for the enforcement of this new legislation, which was drafted by a judicial committee formed by the First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Fahd Al-Yousef. The committee is headed by Counselor Mohammed Rashid Al-Duaij.

Death Penalty News

Search This Blog