Parkland gunman jurors to visit still-bloodstained school building as death penalty decision looms
CBSN
Jurors in the trial of Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz are expected to walk through the still blood-spattered rooms of Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Thursday in a visit to the three-story building where he murdered 14 students and three staff members four years ago.
The seven-man, five-woman jury and 10 alternates will be bused under heavy security the 30 miles from the Broward County Courthouse in downtown Fort Lauderdale to the suburban school. Law enforcement plans to seal off the area around the school and aircraft may be barred from flying overhead to prevent protesters from interrupting the proceedings and to protect the jurors' safety.
The panelists and their law enforcement escorts will be accompanied into the building by Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, prosecutors and Cruz's attorneys. Cruz will not be present, according to one of his attorneys. Prosecutors, who are winding up their case, are hoping the visit will help prove that the former Stoneman Douglas student's actions were cold, calculated, heinous and cruel; created a great risk of death to many people and "interfered with a government function" - all aggravating factors under Florida's capital punishment law.
A 37-year-old man died after falling from a chairlift that was having a mechanical problem at a Montana ski area, according to local authorities and a spokesperson for Red Lodge Mountain.
The White House is withdrawing former Florida Rep. Dave Weldon's nomination to be the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a White House official confirmed Thursday.
The Federal Trade Commission asked a federal judge on Wednesday to delay a trial in a case accusing Amazon of using deceptive practices in its Prime subscription program, citing staffing and budgetary challenges at the government agency.
Oliver Miller, a beefy center who helped Arkansas advance to the Final Four before playing nine seasons in the NBA, has died. He was 54.
Nevada prosecutors say 20 people have been charged in connection with a brawl at a maximum-security prison in eastern Nevada last year in which three inmates were killed and others were injured.
The nominee for a top Justice Department job has left a digital trail of deleted social media posts that his critics say suggest fringe views on a number of issues, including an openness to defying court orders and acceptance of arranged marriages under certain circumstances.
Prosecutors say Bryan Kohberger's defense team will argue at his murder trial that someone else could have planted a knife sheath with Kohberger's DNA at the home where four University of Idaho students were killed in 2022.
Waterbury, Conn. — A Connecticut man who said he was held captive for 20 years was rescued after setting fire to his room and telling first responders he did it to gain his freedom, police said Wednesday.
Robert Morris, founding pastor of Gateway Church, a megachurch in Southlake, Texas, has been indicted on five counts of lewd or indecent acts with a child, stemming from alleged incidents dating back to the 1980s, the Oklahoma attorney general's office announced Wednesday. We are aware of the actions being taken by the legal authorities in Oklahoma and are grateful for the work of the justice system in holding abusers accountable for their actions. We continue to pray for Cindy Clemishire and her family, for the members and staff of Gateway Church, and for all of those impacted by this terrible situation.
President Trump has pardoned a former Republican Tennessee lawmaker who was two weeks into a 21-month prison sentence for an illegal campaign finance scheme that he pleaded guilty to in 2022, before he tried unsuccessfully to take back his plea.
The arrest of Mahmoud Khalil , a green card holder and former Columbia University student involved in pro-Palestinian campus protests in 2024, is raising questions about the rights of permanent residents in the United States.
Sweeping 25% tariffs on all U.S. steel and aluminum imports could cause a rise in prices for a wide range of products including cars and washing machines and other consumer goods, as well as components used in manufacturing and construction, such as nails.
Washington — Less than two months since President Trump's inauguration, the Republican-led Senate has confirmed nearly every one of his Cabinet nominees.