He was given six months probation for trespassing at the shooting site. Prosecutors said that Zachary had been “heard observing how popular name is now” and questioned whether the fame would help to attract female attention. Zachary, who turned 18 one week after the mass shooting, told police he had gone to the school to “reflect on the school shooting and soak it all in”, according to an arrest report. He visited the site of the massacre at least three times and – after being warned to stay away – was charged with trespassing, authoritied said. Shooter Nikolas Cruz, 19, and brother Zachary Cruz, 17, were put in the care of Rocxanne Deschamps after their mom, Lynda Cruz, died from pneumonia on Nov. In the hours after the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Zachary was allowed to meet with his brother in the police station, with footage later released to the media.Īfter that, he was accused of becoming fascinated with the fame his brother was getting. He pleaded guilty without a deal last year because prosecutors refused to budge on seeking the death penalty, paving the way for the ongoing penalty phase. In November 2018 – just three months before the school shooting – Lynda died at the age of 68, leaving the two boys orphaned. Woodard’s brother Nikolas Cruz, 24, faces punishment up to the death penalty for murdering 17 people and trying to kill 17 more at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Aug. Cruz is accused of opening fire at Marjory Stoneman. Zachary’s brother deliberately set off a fire alarm at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida at 14:30 local time (19:30. Zachary Cruz cries as his brother, Nikolas Cruz is arraigned at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, March 14, 2018. In total, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office had 43 contacts with the Cruz family prior to the Parkland massacre, 21 of which involved Cruz alone or both him and his brother, according to official records. Zachary Cruz is the biological brother of Florida School shooter, Nikolas Cruz who is accused of killing at least 17 students and injuring many more, in the deadliest shooting since 2012. In the decade before the 2018 attack, Lynda appeared to struggle with both of her sons’ behaviour and called police to the family home dozens of times. Lynda, Nikolas, Roger and Zachary Cruz from left to right (Law & Crime) When Cruz was five and Zachary four, Roger died, leaving Lynda to raise the two boys alone. Unlike Zachary and Cruz, Danielle did grow up with Woodard, other biological relatives and lived in foster care. The brothers also have an older sister Danielle Woodard who also shares the same birth mother. When Cruz was born, he was adopted by the Cruz parents.Īround one year later, Zachary was born and was also adopted by the Cruz parents who raised the boys together. Woodard had a long history of drug and alcohol abuse and a long rap sheet dating back to at least the 1980s. The boys’ birth mother was Brenda Woodard who, at the time of her pregnancy with Cruz, was homeless, an alcoholic, a drug addict and working as a prostitute. Zachary has the same biological mother as Cruz and was also adopted by Lynda and Roger Cruz. ![]() Here’s what we know about Cruz’s younger brother: Early life While the trial is casting more of a spotlight on Cruz and his actions leading up to the mass shooting, Zachary also hit headlines in the aftermath of the attack. Prosecutors said they will seek the death penalty.Fourteen students and three educators were killed in the massacre. His older brother, Nikolas Cruz, 19, faces numerous charges, including murder, for the shooting. He was forbidden from having any contact with victims or family members of the February 14 mass shooting. He was also ordered to wear a GPS monitor and to remain 1 mile away from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas campus. After his arrest, the younger Cruz told police he wanted to “reflect on the school shooting and soak it in,” according to an arrest report.Īt a March 29 court hearing, Zachary Cruz was sentenced to six months probation. The warrant said he was about 25 feet from the west parking lot of Park Vista Community High School in Lake Worth, Florida.Ī Broward County sheriff’s deputy was the witness for the violations, the arrest warrant said.Ĭruz was arrested March 19 on a misdemeanor trespassing charge at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, where his brother fatally shot 17 people on February 14. Zachary Cruz was booked Tuesday night into Palm Beach County Jail, according to the jail website.Īccording to an arrest warrant issued Tuesday, Cruz, 18, violated his probation April 28 by operating a Kia SUV without a driver’s license and being close to a school where he was not enrolled.
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