Slap on the wrist for a budding psychopath.
Zachary Cruz, brother of the teenager who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last month, will go free Thursday as part of a plea deal reached in his trespassing case.
Cruz, 18, pleaded no contest in exchange for a 6-month probation term saddled with conditions that include staying off drugs or alcohol, staying at least a mile away from the Parkland high school he once attended, and staying away from firearms.
“Zachary Cruz is not someone anyone needs to fear,†said his lawyer, Joseph Kimok. “He’s someone who needs our compassion.â€
Bond for Zachary Cruz: Balancing public safety with individual's rights
Cruz was arrested on March 19 at the school’s campus. A police report said he had been warned to stay away from the school. His lawyer disputed that Thursday.
“That part of it simply wasn’t true,†Kimok said. “That school was always a place where he felt safe and welcome.â€
Cruz admitted to deputies he had been to Stoneman Douglas three times since his brother, Nikolas, went on his deadly shooting spree.
Nikolas Cruz is facing the death penalty if he’s convicted, but Zachary Cruz faced a maximum of 60 days in jail and a fine of $500.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/parkland/florida-school-shooting/fl-reg-florida-school-shooting-brother-bond-hearing-20180328-story.html
