The judge overseeing jury selection for a man who murdered 17 people at a Florida high school declared that the process will start over Monday, conceding that she should have questioned 11 potential jurors who said they would not follow the law before she dismissed them. In granting the motion filed by Nikolas Cruz ’s prosecutors over the strong objection of his attorneys, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer nullified two weeks of work by prosecution and defense lawyers, forcing them to begin the entire process anew on Monday. As a result, almost 250 potential jurors who had said they could sit for a four-month trial will not be called back next month for further questioning. More than 1,200 candidates had been screened. Prosecutor Carolyn McCann made her argument after the 11 jurors who were improperly dismissed by Scherer two weeks ago weren’t told to return to court for more questioning Monday, as had been planned, due to a miscommunication error. Scherer said they would be brought in next week, but McCann argued that more time would be wasted if it turned out the potential jurors had to be struck anyway. She said the prosecution has just as much right to question potential jurors and to an untainted final panel as the defense. “This is not harmless error,” McCann said. Melisa McNeill, Cruz’s lead public defender, strongly disagreed with the decision to strike the potential jurors now. She said Scherer should wait until next week to see if the 11 jurors returned and could be questioned. She then asked the judge to delay her decision until Monday afternoon to give her side more time to do research. Scherer sided with the prosecution, but said she might reconsider if the defense can make a persuasive argument Monday afternoon after it finishes its research. Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty in October to murdering 17 and wounding 17 at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018. The 12-member jury that will be selected after a two-month, three-step winnowing process will decide if he is sentenced to death or life in prison without parole. The misstep will almost certainly push back opening statements from their scheduled date of mid-June. They had already been delayed from May 31. Having to start all over again has been a possibility since Scherer made the error on April 5 during questioning of a group of 60 potential jurors, the fifth of 21 panels that have appeared before the judge, prosecutors and the defense. With the previous four groups and every group since, Scherer only asked potential jurors if they knew Cruz or any of the attorneys and if they had any personal or work hardships that would make it impossible for them to serve from June through September. With the fifth group, however, she also asked if any of the candidates would not follow the law if chosen. A couple people put up their hands, then a couple more until soon there were 11 hands held aloft. Scherer expressed surprise at the number, but dismissed them without further questioning, drawing an objection from Cruz’s attorneys in a private sidebar after they left. The defense wanted Scherer to question them further to make sure they actually believed and understood what they were saying and not simply trying to avoid […]

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