Parkland killer’s life or death, Day 33: Police officers describe scene; medical examiner details wounds

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Dr. Iouri Boiko, a Forensic Pathology Specialist, describes the gunshot wounds that the victims sustained. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz is being tried in the penalty phase of his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Friday, July 22, 2022. Cruz previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 shootings. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Here are updates from Day 33 in the sentencing trial of confessed Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, 23; a jury will decide if he will be executed or sentenced to life in prison without parole. He pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

  • Responding officers: Two Coral Springs Police officers and a Broward Sheriff’s deputy described injured students pleading for help and finding body after body. Some, such as athletic director Chris Hixon and assistant football coach Aaron Feis, spent their final minutes providing cover for students to escape.
  • Grieving family: Fred Guttenberg wiped tears from his eyes as a police detective recounted checking vital signs for Jaime Guttenberg, a 15-year-old Stoneman Douglas student who died in the shooting. Guttenberg’s wife Jennifer was not in court for the first time this week. Trying to offer some comfort were Mitch Dworet, Tom Hoyer and Max Schachter, fathers who heard testimony about their loved ones’ last moments earlier this week.
  • Autopsy details: Medical examiner Louri Boiko testified in graphic detail about the autopsies of freshmen Martin Duque and Alaina Petty, both 14; senior Carmen Schentrup, 16; and senior Meadow Pollack, 18. Several victims’ family members left the courtroom during Boiko’s testimony.

Broward Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Detective Dan Krystyn identifies a cell phone with a bullet hole recovered at the crime scene. (Mike Stocker / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

  • Crime scene photos: A crime scene detective walked the jury through several photos taken at the scene, including ones of doors and walls marked with bullets. He also showed bullet holes in a laptop and cell phone belonging to victim Luke Hoyer.
  • Identifying the shooter in court: Before testimony started Friday, defense lawyer Tamara Curtis requested that the prosecution stop asking witnesses to identify the shooter in the courtroom. Jeff Marcus, assistant state attorney, replied it’s necessary so the jury can be sure he’s the one who committed the capital crimes.
  • Looking ahead: Testimony is scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Monday.

Go to SunSentinel.com/parkland-shooting for complete coverage of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tragedy and ongoing coverage of the sentencing trial.

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Sun Sentinel staff writers Scott Travis and Natalia Galicza contributed to this report.

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