Florida gunman says ‘demon voices’ told him how to pull off school shooting and police reveal they were called out 39 TIMES to his family home before his mother died last year
The school gunman, Nikolas Cruz, 19, faces 17 counts of premeditated murder – charges that carry the death penalty in Florida and is held without bail
He told authorities that voices in his head told him how to carry out the shooting
According to his legal team he suffers from autism, depression and has other significant psychological problems
Police were called to his family’s home in Parkland, Florida 39 times since 2010
Cruz’s adoptive mother died in November from pneumonia and her husband died years before of a heart attack
Cruz was kicked out of the high school last year for allegedly getting into a fight
A man also reported Cruz to the FBI last year for writing an online post saying he was going to be a shooter
President Trump said in a tweet Thursday morning that there were signs that the shooter was ‘mentally disturbed’
By JESSICA FINN
DAILYMAIL.COM
16 February 2018
According to authorities, the gunman who killed 17 people inside a school in Florida told police he heard voices in his head that gave him instructions for the attack.
The voices were described as ‘demons’ by law enforcement sources, reports ABC News.
Meanwhile, it emerged that police were called to Nikolas Cruz’s family’s Parkland home 39 times since 2010, according to police records obtained by CNN.
The sheriff’s office received a range of emergency calls that included: ‘mentally ill person,’ ‘child/elderly abuse,’ ‘domestic disturbance,’ ‘missing person,’ and several others.
Cruz moved in with a friend’s family after his adoptive mother, 68-year-old Lynda Cruz, passed away in November from pneumonia.
During his first court appearance on Thursday, Cruz was comforted by his public defender as he was ordered held without bail in connection to the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday that left 17 dead and 14 injured. As of Friday, seven of the injured were still hospitalized, one in critical condition and seven in stable.
The 19-year-old wore an orange jump suit and shackles on his wrists and ankles as he was officially charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder – charges that carry the possibility of the death penalty in Florida.
Cruz kept his eyes down and didn’t speak in court, other than to confirm his name with a polite ‘yes ma’am’ to the judge.
Standing next to him was his public defender, Melisa McNeil, who comforted him by putting a hand around his shoulder.
After the hearing, Cruz’s defense team revealed that he was on suicide watch and that he understood the magnitude of his actions.
McNeill told reporters gathered outside the courtroom that her client was sad and remorseful.
‘He’s sad. He’s mournful. He’s remorseful. He is fully aware of what is going on, and he’s just a broken human being,’ she said.
Another member of the defense team, Gordon Weeks, was brought to tears as he addressed reporters, telling them that Cruz ‘recognizes’ what he has done and is ‘deeply sad’.
‘He is dealing with the shock of all this that’s going on,’ Weeks said.
McNeill and Weeks said that Cruz suffers from autism, depression and has dealt with significant psychological problems – all without the sort of support system that most people have.
‘When your brain is not fully developed, you don’t know how to deal with these things,’ McNeil said. ‘That’s the child I’m sitting across from.’
Weeks added: ‘The child is deeply troubled and he has endured significant trauma that stems from the loss of his mother.’
Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi has said she is ‘certain’ prosecutors will be seeking the death penalty for the teen shooter.
Meanwhile, details are starting to emerge about the shooter, who recently was orphaned, stopped getting mental health treatment about a year ago and even had ties to a white supremacist group.
Students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School painted the picture of a weird and disturbed teen who sold knives out of a lunchbox, bragged about killing animals and was finally kicked out of school for fighting and carrying bullets in his backpack.
An FBI official also said Thursday that they were warned – not once, but twice – about the shooter. One of the warnings came in September, from a bail bondsman in Mississippi who alerted the feds about an alarming online message Cruz wrote saying he was ‘going to be a professional school shooter’
Broward County Mayor Beam Furr also revealed that Cruz had been getting treatment at a mental health clinic for a while, but hadn’t been back to the clinic in more than a year.
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