The psychologist seems like an awesome clinician who really cared and tried to help the family. He really knows his patients. He has treated him in over 15 years. His testimony is so different from the much younger psychiatrist who treated Nikolas for 5 years when he was much older. The psychiatrist couldn't recollect any of his behaviors and claimed he never knew anything about his multiple behavioral referrals from his school. He also claimed he never received the letter of concern that he was preoccupied with guns and violence.
Some of it is age, experience. The younger generations of doctors just don't have the same depth, sensitivity, compassion as the older ones. I have been on the receiving end of mental health care I have never shot or killed anybody and I didn't grow up in the same level of poverty that Nicholas Cruz did however I did come from a lot of brokenness and hardship. It's hard to find doctors who really " get it."
It’s hard to see kids growing up this way. It makes you feel compassion for the many kids out there having physical/spiritual/mental issues…. Hard to see them go full psychopathic 🙏🏼
The way he planned the whole massacre was very coldly calculated, not by someone who doesn't think, not by a mentally ill person. God of strength to those families who lost their loved ones.
@@D.J.canada then give him what he wants not like he killed 1 or 5 people he killed killed 17 innocent people and planned it out I don't condone the death penalty but in this case why not
“Do you think she was embarrassed of him?” Uhhhh yeah, let me see this attorney handling a kid that snaps in the middle of McDonald’s because he can’t get anymore fries and starts kicking you, cussing at the McDonald’s staff who have nothing to do with the incident. Throwing chairs and getting worse when you ask him to calm down because you can’t really give consequences to a child that has say oppositional defiant disorder etc… stuff that has nothing to do with discipline but entirely about mental disorders and damage that occurred due to drug use of the mother while pregnant or others… I had one child who try to chock me with the seatbelt as I was driving. Just because I said I would not be going to the store that day. He also tried to chock Himself with the seatbelt, would kick my bio son who was younger than him, tried to throw himself off the car (moving car on the freeway). Trashed his bedroom when asked to be on time out. Broke the bed, holes on the wall… all whilst the therapist just say “ok when you notice that he’s escalating at bed time because he doesn’t want to go to sleep just sit next to him and remind him that he needs to sleep or else he’ll have a bad day at school” 😒😒😒😒😒 bruh. Every single night feeling like a morron trying to keep a poker face so the child doesn’t get *more* triggered if he thinks you made a face that is threatening. They also tell you to say”ok I’m going to go to bed and I hope you do to”. And you need to walk away as you hear the child destroying your house and potentially hurting your pets 😕 bruh. Nobody knows what it is to deal with a child like tjis
@@stevene9785 Thank you. For me and my own kids was traumatic. I truly wanted to help thinking all they needed was love. Turns out love is not enough in certain circumstances, I now can say I don’t care when people try to tell me that “yes, love is enough” bla bla bla. Nope. No it’s not. I ended up in therapy myself because I went through trauma. Some kids are actually scary and you have that core feeling they would stab you in a heart beat! Ugh. Anyway, hopefully people that say “why didn’t so and so do this, why didn’t they do more” etc go get a foster license and do what their keyboard so fiercely types 😟
@@labitcoineragt3596 Your comment "love is not enough in certain circumstances" is the best thing I've read pertaining this case. I'm so sorry you've been through that and I hope things are looking up for you 💙🤍💙. I am infuriated at the defense who's trying to put the blame on Lynda. To me, she was NC's first victim.
You are right. What these kids need is a good psychologist who will dig into the root cause. I am a special education teacher and I see these types of problems at work. I can also honestly say that dealing with an aggressive kid is scary - especially if you are not sure what is causing it or if you don't know the kid. I have one student who scares me. He has traits of aspd and is extremely defiant. What I have noticed is that getting to know the kid is very important. You need to make mental notes about their behaviour and what triggers them. The hardest thing is managing your own emotions. You can't really show them you are scared because they might be after that reaction. I have noticed that these kids will get surprised if you don't show fear. I have also noticed that it is important to remain as calm as possible. One thing I also do a lot with my students is a praise them excessively about positive behaviour and try to ignore negative behaviour as long as it is not causing harm. When I punish I punish them I punish them consistently. I don't tolerate hitting or serious threats or insults. The kid needs to know what is good behaviour and what is bad behaviour. It all needs to be clear. Those are called boundaries. The fact is these kids are struggling with anger because they don't know how to deal with it. Anger is one of the hardest emotions to deal with especially for special needs kids. They need a lot of support, good modeling, genuine interest and professional help. If they don't get these, the problem worsens and the kid spirals out of control. A good colleague of mine told me that behaviour is always a symptom of something. The kid might be overwhelmed, tired, frustrated or hungry for example and they lack the skills to communicate that, so the only way they can show how they feel is through aggression.
@@legolatar7677 Well said! Lynda must have been terrified of NC. He's so sadistic he would shoot his bb gun in the house and make "flamethrowers" with a can of spray and fire to scare her. And it's clear she was unable to set boundaries. Frankly, I don't know who would with him. I doubt even prison time will help in that direction.
I can’t understand why they keep referring to him as the “school shooter,” he should be referred to as the “murderer of school people”, as he’s confessed to it. When you refer to him as the school shooter, you are giving him the notoriety he craves and also encouraging others to follow on in the murders footsteps.
All the testimonies prove Lynda's unconditional love. Sadly, she was not by any means an effective parent. However she did try to help her sons... love, taking them to docyors to be evaluated, meeting school teachers. She did her best. Poor woman.😢
He is probably happy to hear any kind thing his mother had said about him. His idea of reality is not normal. He is very emotionally disturbed. He will be put away for the rest of his life.
@@america1st827 I don't think he has any remorse either, not sure he's capable of feeling any. His so-called apology was really indicative. It was all about him and full of lies, just a final attempt to manipulate the public and the judicial system. P.S. He asked to be buried with a woman?? WTH??
Does anyone know if and what Lynda Cruz’s plan was for this kid who clearly shouldn’t have ever been left alone?! My goodness- what a tragic avoidable act.
@@annebosworth7048 as much as I've heard I must have missed or forgotten that detail. I don't think it was a coincidence with the timing being shortly after her death. It's possible, timely help could have prevented this tragedy and once he made it through, may have never returned to that mindset again. Truly the age is a common factor among many of these shooters. No excuse to let this slip and everyone did every step of the way
Oh Please. Nikolas Cruz had more help than anyone could ever imagine. He was not incapacitated as the defense would like you to think or the experts would have taken legal action to have him declared so. No one failed him. Nikolas did nothing to help himself. He had the intelligence to do so. He wasn't bullied and his pictures so far all showed him very happy. He was working at dollar store at the time of the shootings and living with a loving family. He made the honor roll in high school one semester too. He was smart enough to learn how to shoot an AR 15 and he was an excellent marksman. He was in ROTC in high school. Linda Cruz bought him a gun. If she was so afraid of him then why would she do that? I'm actually for giving him LWOP because that will force him to think about what he did for about 60 years.
@@brbrknndy exactly he's a psychopath. He's always trying to play victim while simultaneously being truculent. He's narcissistic as f. He will never feel remorse or regret for killing those people and injuring the others.
@@sA-ny2jl He's in solitary confinement now and will be for the rest of his life because there will always be part of the jail population that finds what he did so heinous that there will be many attempts at his life. Right now he's living off of psychological Novocaine because of the court trial. He's enjoying the defense witnesses talking about how bad he had it. If you see his face there are tears in his eyes while they are talking; not because he is sorry for what he did. He's enjoying the "feeling sorry for him " talk that he was so used to getting in his time growing up. After the trial that will all go away and he will be completely alone. He will be in solitary for the rest of his life, I don't believe the court will allow him to view any media on what he did except as necessary for appeals. Without distractions to break the monotony he will get bored very quickly. I do, however, think the families should sue NC because he now getting millions of dollars in his commissary account from the reality TV show having to do with his brother. If the families sue the court will garnish payments to his commissary account. Visits from family members will be hard on him to as he will be seeing people living and enjoying life that he will never get to experience. He will be stuck in limbo for the rest of his life. What he did was so heinous that I don't think he will ever get out.
WTF that monster sits there with a coffee takeaway next to 6 lawyers and 2 sitting behind them I've never seen worse in my life 😡I will watch this trial even though it's beyond pathetic😡what a waste of time all for this thing🤬
@@Ninaagabi mass murder is still mass murder, you moron. Doesn’t matter the scale. Whether it’s 17 children or millions of Jewish people. Your arrogance is corny
Nikolas Cruz has experienced a very damaged childhood; pain and suffering, and no fault of his own. The severe damaging comments made to his face, as a child by vicious neighbors, the relentless bullying from his own brother and, students at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School, and at the special schools he attended when he was a younger child were the environmental component of his make up; that coupled with drugs (prescription & non-prescription), alcohol, etc. that his birth mother ingested, while Nikolas was forming in her womb definitely contributed to the genetic component of his make up. And through no fault of his own. He has suffered and died, not physically, but emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually; through no fault of his own, but from other people. His personhood has been under attack since he was born. I feel for him.
@@Lindenrd25 Some if those students who were physically killed may very well have been part of the problem. To be indifferent, watch from a distance, and not get involved, while other vicious students relentlessly bully, demean, and dehumanize another human being, is contributing to the problem. Sorry for those students who were killed, but Cruz, as other students get killed emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually, as they get dehumanized from the bullying, and, torturing other students inflict on them.
@@gloryB-3 Cruz by all accounts bullied and antogonized others, picking fights in school and posting racist comments online. He wasn't a pure victim by any means.
"Therapy sessions" were there just to evaluate his progress (or not) and modify drug prescriptions. Nikolas, the murderer has been a devil in the flesh his entire life. I feel sorry for Linda who basically hasn't had a chance to survive this monster.
What progress was ever made with all this treatment and counseling? Its all baloney, look at them. Each one is a weirdo and the one lady could barely speak english today let alone when Nick was a child. They repeat the same BS for every child they see.
Apparently, some people have a difficulty to get in terms with the fact, that devil exists. And some individuals are demon-possessed no matter what you do, no matter the enormous amount of love and resources has been poured onto them: devil is an ultimate destroyer; his inhuman behavior and destructive actions are beyond of your control.
The excruciating details about a simple "intake form" are mind-bendingly repetitive. We can all see what is written. Why does she ask questions about every single, line-item detail? This is why courts get bogged down. Establish the evidence and get on with the punishment. The victims are suffering through all these irrelevant details. This monster needs no sympathy.
All the pictures shown of both boys, clearly indicates that they were well taken care of.... they always presented clean, neat, healthy, extremely well dressed and smiling naturally and even looking happy, loved and well adjusted kids.... this is a very important factor seemingly missed in all the anylisys.... this already indicated that the parents cared and loved the two boys and gave them the best start in life they were capable of with the limited knowledge of dealing with adopted kids where gene's and background history always plays a huge part in their behavior as they grow up and developed ...as to kids that's been neglected, abused, diprived of healthy food, not having a decent place to live, limited education, and subjected to poverty etc.. The fact that unfortunately the father died when they were still todlers and the mom struggled to cope with the boys, her loss and not having a father figure for them, not being the petfect know it all, do it all mom... not being strict enough, spoiling them, she still loved them and kept them out of the foster system where they could have been subjected to much worse treatment... I hope when he now gets to look back at his childhood pictures as n grown-up he would at least acknowledge the fact that he was loved and privileged to have those two people in his life and even struggling with ADHD and developmental issues still was not a reason to kill innocent people as his actios were well planned, the gun modified, his conversations , social post etc... shows that he knew what he was doing... Even having a second chance being taken in by his friend's caring parents who tried to give him a stable loving environment where he proved that he had the ability to behave himself and improve his life, showed no signs that alerted them, they even paid for treatment for him and he still took their love and care for granted... He might not had the best childhood but he certainly did not have the worse either even with the social system failing him..
Just because a child "appears" clean and loved, does not, by any means support the idea that he had a good childhood. This Mother had no control or grip on the way Nikolas was and ultimately failed him, as did many other "professionals"
i don't think anyone was looking for an excuse, but an explanation makes a difference - it is one thing when a brain-damaged and mentally challenged person does it, and something else when a sadistic psychopath does. no difference to the victims and their families of course, but the society at large should see the difference to learn from it and try to do something to avoid future occurrences. but also because I personally, and many others clearly, feel we can't judge them the same way. in this particular case, there were so many systemic societal failures at play that just pointing the finger at the killer would be deluding ourselves. he was the sum total of all the things that made him into what he became, a broken car on a crash course.
It sounds like no one had ever made Nikolas a priority. Bio mom gave him up, adoptive dad died and adoptive mom was embarrassed by him. Brother probably knew how to play mom and others so he looked like the good child, further stigmatizing Nikolas. Sad situation all around. Who knows how many lives could have been saved if Nikolas early years had been different
Sad that a child was failed. I always have empathy for children even Nikolas because at the age of 7, he wasnt who he was at the time of the shooting. I hate to hear about a neglected child but it seems his mother was doing her best and he is solely responsible for his actions. From what I gather, this could have been prevented.
Mom was too old to adopt such small children, but she did what she could.. who is to say anyone else would have been able to do any better? I don't think this could have been prevented. What is there to learn from this? That is the real question we should each ask, and answer, for ourselves.
Mental illness runs in his bio mom’s family and bio mom abused drugs and alcohol during her pregnancy. Adoption, for whatever reason, is difficult on the child when child has no mental illness family history. Plus, sounds like adoptive family was older, not a good fit at times.
Interesting how much of this is from his biological mothers drug/alcohol/smoking during his gestation on top of the drugs he was pumped full of from so young. His brain was shorted from the start. So many what ifs. Would be interesting if he wasn't treated with drugs but instead taken into a natural environment away from all technology with firm guidance.
So, how many more troubled kids are there out there who exhibit a similar degree of difficulty and who are not in receipt of the support they need and deserve? Their support is as much for our benefit, as theirs.
Why aren't all these professions not taking responsibility for all Nikolas dangerous outbreaks, they need to be held responsible to for failing him since a young age! Just my opinion after watching court
What a wonderful understanding and compassionate man this psychologist is. If only he had more people like this in his corner, he wouldn't have felt so lost and alone in this world. Such a sad case. Those people killed were victims but so is Nikolas. People on here that are just deeming his as "evil" because they lack the capacity to delve deeper and look into all of this information, background etc infuriates me. As a parent of a special needs child, I've found so many people are just ignorant to such conditions and how much they can affect someone's life. Add those conditions to being directly affected whilst developing in the womb, being relentlessly bullied and told he wasn't loved or worth anything, not being given the proper guidance and support by his Mother... I could go on, the list is endless. Just a tragedy all round
Hes a quack. People in his profession only milk people for money and are unable to live up to people's expection of what the profession is intended to be.
The intervention Nikolas needed was and is Divine intervention; not worldly Psychologist, Counselors, Psychiatrists, and Educators. Why didn't the Educators at the school see the signs and problems the other students who were offending Nikolas, had. They are the ones who needed to be dealt with; discipline, suspend and expell from the school. I would love to speak with Nikolas and bring him to Christ.
SHAME doctor! You had an opportunity to change the course of this human being’s life right at the critical age of 8 before it would become nearly impossible to reach him. We took these children off meds, detoxed them, brought them into intensive therapy for 2 weeks with ALL family present and ALL family members receiving intensive therapy. There is no education or discussion or meds that reaches these kids and that helps these families consistently and with ongoing in depth actual living and feeling through emotions. It is not about TALKING it out or role modeling. Emotions must be experienced in loving and honest intensive therapy sessions. You are so smug that you think you have no culpability! Wow. We were successful with these kids in every case. They were all extremely capable and even likely to act out violence in horrific ways (some had done so before they were brought to us) but NONE of them have done so since receiving therapy that is effective. Again, you had more than 4 decades of not understanding or properly treating kids that are likely to kill. SHAME on you.
You really think a psychologist is a psychic? He wouldn’t have known that this monster would’ve took guns to his former HS and shot innocent children and adults. That’s ridiculous to presume that of this man. Who you SHOULD blame are the people who were his caregivers, for not giving a damn about his mental illness and state of mind.
@@FreeTheTrolls as professionals, we know. These counselors and psychiatrists have access to the same information, studies, therapies, and outcomes that we do. It’s solid evidence and yet they ignored it. By the way, if you’re a layperson, my extensive comment and knowledge is not to you. In fact you do not need to take my chastisement personally unless you’re a professional in my field and have neglected your ethical responsibility as these professionals have done.
@@FreeTheTrolls tut tut. Deleting your comment because you got embarrassed by your own stupidity does not take it down. Here it is: J LV said: You really think a psychologist is a psychic? He wouldn’t have known that this monster would’ve took guns to his former HS and shot innocent children and adults. That’s ridiculous to presume that of this man. Who you SHOULD blame are the people who were his caregivers, for not giving a damn about his mental illness and state of mind.
They probably raised it (their tumultuous relationship) to an art form. Nikolas was easily set off and Zachary seemed to derive pleasure from pushing Nicholas's buttons. I had to laugh a bit at this: It brings back memories. But not good for a kid on the edge. Little Nikky needed more friends.
This witness was gentle and empathic. I can see why he was a licensed psychologist.
I thought the same and then I was wondering what he all heard in his 30 years of work. I doubt it is easy.
Very calm and soothing aura!! Reminds me of my Grandpa (who was also a therapist) ❤️
@@cateileen5163 I think anyone over 75 is licensed therapist 😁
If only all psychologists were this way.
@@markbaz I hope you are kidding, because that might end up very bad! Not everyone who is getting older gets automatically wiser.
The psychologist seems like an awesome clinician who really cared and tried to help the family. He really knows his patients. He has treated him in over 15 years. His testimony is so different from the much younger psychiatrist who treated Nikolas for 5 years when he was much older. The psychiatrist couldn't recollect any of his behaviors and claimed he never knew anything about his multiple behavioral referrals from his school. He also claimed he never received the letter of concern that he was preoccupied with guns and violence.
Some of it is age, experience. The younger generations of doctors just don't have the same depth, sensitivity, compassion as the older ones.
I have been on the receiving end of mental health care I have never shot or killed anybody and I didn't grow up in the same level of poverty that Nicholas Cruz did however I did come from a lot of brokenness and hardship. It's hard to find doctors who really " get it."
There are few practitioners who can grasp the big picture. Which is too bad, bc, psychiatry is where it really matters.
It’s hard to see kids growing up this way. It makes you feel compassion for the many kids out there having physical/spiritual/mental issues…. Hard to see them go full psychopathic 🙏🏼
The way he planned the whole massacre was very coldly calculated, not by someone who doesn't think, not by a mentally ill person. God of strength to those families who lost their loved ones.
Whether or not he had a bad life or not what he did was beyond horrible and very calculated and thought out that he does not deserve any mercy
@@D.J.canada then give him what he wants not like he killed 1 or 5 people he killed killed 17 innocent people and planned it out I don't condone the death penalty but in this case why not
I don't think you have a good understanding of what mental illness is
@loritorres715 because he wrote to meet her in the afterlife, in fact we all smile he should not be first to reunit,
“Do you think she was embarrassed of him?”
Uhhhh yeah, let me see this attorney handling a kid that snaps in the middle of McDonald’s because he can’t get anymore fries and starts kicking you, cussing at the McDonald’s staff who have nothing to do with the incident. Throwing chairs and getting worse when you ask him to calm down because you can’t really give consequences to a child that has say oppositional defiant disorder etc… stuff that has nothing to do with discipline but entirely about mental disorders and damage that occurred due to drug use of the mother while pregnant or others…
I had one child who try to chock me with the seatbelt as I was driving. Just because I said I would not be going to the store that day. He also tried to chock Himself with the seatbelt, would kick my bio son who was younger than him, tried to throw himself off the car (moving car on the freeway). Trashed his bedroom when asked to be on time out. Broke the bed, holes on the wall… all whilst the therapist just say “ok when you notice that he’s escalating at bed time because he doesn’t want to go to sleep just sit next to him and remind him that he needs to sleep or else he’ll have a bad day at school” 😒😒😒😒😒 bruh. Every single night feeling like a morron trying to keep a poker face so the child doesn’t get *more* triggered if he thinks you made a face that is threatening. They also tell you to say”ok I’m going to go to bed and I hope you do to”. And you need to walk away as you hear the child destroying your house and potentially hurting your pets 😕 bruh. Nobody knows what it is to deal with a child like tjis
I understand. That is why I get so damn angry with the stupid comments. Keyboard warriors that believe they know so much. Hows it go? Oh yeah... bruh!
@@stevene9785 Thank you. For me and my own kids was traumatic. I truly wanted to help thinking all they needed was love. Turns out love is not enough in certain circumstances, I now can say I don’t care when people try to tell me that “yes, love is enough” bla bla bla. Nope. No it’s not. I ended up in therapy myself because I went through trauma. Some kids are actually scary and you have that core feeling they would stab you in a heart beat! Ugh. Anyway, hopefully people that say “why didn’t so and so do this, why didn’t they do more” etc go get a foster license and do what their keyboard so fiercely types 😟
@@labitcoineragt3596 Your comment "love is not enough in certain circumstances" is the best thing I've read pertaining this case. I'm so sorry you've been through that and I hope things are looking up for you 💙🤍💙. I am infuriated at the defense who's trying to put the blame on Lynda. To me, she was NC's first victim.
You are right. What these kids need is a good psychologist who will dig into the root cause. I am a special education teacher and I see these types of problems at work. I can also honestly say that dealing with an aggressive kid is scary - especially if you are not sure what is causing it or if you don't know the kid. I have one student who scares me. He has traits of aspd and is extremely defiant. What I have noticed is that getting to know the kid is very important. You need to make mental notes about their behaviour and what triggers them. The hardest thing is managing your own emotions. You can't really show them you are scared because they might be after that reaction. I have noticed that these kids will get surprised if you don't show fear. I have also noticed that it is important to remain as calm as possible. One thing I also do a lot with my students is a praise them excessively about positive behaviour and try to ignore negative behaviour as long as it is not causing harm. When I punish I punish them I punish them consistently. I don't tolerate hitting or serious threats or insults. The kid needs to know what is good behaviour and what is bad behaviour. It all needs to be clear. Those are called boundaries.
The fact is these kids are struggling with anger because they don't know how to deal with it. Anger is one of the hardest emotions to deal with especially for special needs kids. They need a lot of support, good modeling, genuine interest and professional help. If they don't get these, the problem worsens and the kid spirals out of control. A good colleague of mine told me that behaviour is always a symptom of something. The kid might be overwhelmed, tired, frustrated or hungry for example and they lack the skills to communicate that, so the only way they can show how they feel is through aggression.
@@legolatar7677 Well said! Lynda must have been terrified of NC. He's so sadistic he would shoot his bb gun in the house and make "flamethrowers" with a can of spray and fire to scare her. And it's clear she was unable to set boundaries. Frankly, I don't know who would with him. I doubt even prison time will help in that direction.
Imagine Nikolas hearing that not only his bio mom didn’t want him but adoptive mom regretted taking him too. That was likely not news to him.
This is all fine and dandy, but it DOESN'T CHANGE A THING: Life in prison w/o parole or the D penalty, pick one.
Death
I can’t understand why they keep referring to him as the “school shooter,” he should be referred to as the “murderer of school people”, as he’s confessed to it. When you refer to him as the school shooter, you are giving him the notoriety he craves and also encouraging others to follow on in the murders footsteps.
So sad
All the testimonies prove Lynda's unconditional love. Sadly, she was not by any means an effective parent. However she did try to help her sons... love, taking them to docyors to be evaluated, meeting school teachers. She did her best. Poor woman.😢
But she didn’t alert the doc to the situations of his birth
Ok we get it. Please let these families have peace and let these smart jurists do their jobs for God sake 🙏
Anyone else notice that for such a miserable human being and supposedly awful childhood, he is grinning from ear to ear?
If you have time, google what he has drawn during the trial. I’m not thinking he has any remorse.
He is probably happy to hear any kind thing his mother had said about him. His idea of reality is not normal. He is very emotionally disturbed. He will be put away for the rest of his life.
You believe that he is grinning because you do not understand mental illness.
@@america1st827 I don't think he has any remorse either, not sure he's capable of feeling any. His so-called apology was really indicative. It was all about him and full of lies, just a final attempt to manipulate the public and the judicial system.
P.S. He asked to be buried with a woman?? WTH??
@@america1st827 Source please?
SO much damage in 6 minutes that will last a lifetime for the families of the victims
Would same amount of damage have been done in that time with a knife or hand gun?
I can’t help but notice what a cute child and handsome young man he became. He never heard it.
That’s not why he became what he became.
Does anyone know if and what Lynda Cruz’s plan was for this kid who clearly shouldn’t have ever been left alone?! My goodness- what a tragic avoidable act.
She died a few months before this shooting happened.. he was taken in by a another family when his mum died..
@@annebosworth7048 as much as I've heard I must have missed or forgotten that detail. I don't think it was a coincidence with the timing being shortly after her death. It's possible, timely help could have prevented this tragedy and once he made it through, may have never returned to that mindset again. Truly the age is a common factor among many of these shooters. No excuse to let this slip and everyone did every step of the way
Oh Please. Nikolas Cruz had more help than anyone could ever imagine. He was not incapacitated as the defense would like you to think or the experts would have taken legal action to have him declared so. No one failed him. Nikolas did nothing to help himself. He had the intelligence to do so. He wasn't bullied and his pictures so far all showed him very happy.
He was working at dollar store at the time of the shootings and living with a loving family. He made the honor roll in high school one semester too. He was smart enough to learn how to shoot an AR 15 and he was an excellent marksman. He was in ROTC in high school.
Linda Cruz bought him a gun. If she was so afraid of him then why would she do that?
I'm actually for giving him LWOP because that will force him to think about what he did for about 60 years.
@@brbrknndy exactly he's a psychopath. He's always trying to play victim while simultaneously being truculent. He's narcissistic as f.
He will never feel remorse or regret for killing those people and injuring the others.
@@sA-ny2jl He's in solitary confinement now and will be for the rest of his life because there will always be part of the jail population that finds what he did so heinous that there will be many attempts at his life.
Right now he's living off of psychological Novocaine because of the court trial. He's enjoying the defense witnesses talking about how bad he had it. If you see his face there are tears in his eyes while they are talking; not because he is sorry for what he did. He's enjoying the "feeling sorry for him " talk that he was so used to getting in his time growing up.
After the trial that will all go away and he will be completely alone. He will be in solitary for the rest of his life, I don't believe the court will allow him to view any media on what he did except as necessary for appeals. Without distractions to break the monotony he will get bored very quickly.
I do, however, think the families should sue NC because he now getting millions of dollars in his commissary account from the reality TV show having to do with his brother. If the families sue the court will garnish payments to his commissary account.
Visits from family members will be hard on him to as he will be seeing people living and enjoying life that he will never get to experience. He will be stuck in limbo for the rest of his life.
What he did was so heinous that I don't think he will ever get out.
WTF that monster sits there with a coffee takeaway next to 6 lawyers and 2 sitting behind them I've never seen worse in my life 😡I will watch this trial even though it's beyond pathetic😡what a waste of time all for this thing🤬
You would be due the same if it were you
I'm sad to say the appts are usually for follow of of how medications are working.
So many kids gets misdiagnosed as adhd but really its bi polar or something else. 🙄😒
So say ye Dr. nickyms.
AAAAAA! Court TV -- DO NOT SHOW CONFIDENTIAL PHI FORMS!! YOU NEED TO EDIT THIS NOW!
She's dead so it doesn't hold any value now
The adoptive mother and father were not equipped to deal with the person of Nikolas since he was born.
I don't think anyone is, and I'm sure neither myself nor anyone I know would be.
This is the genius who vetoed institutionalizing Cruz before the shooting and said he had a "low risk" of harming anyone.
Hey everyone, Adolf Hitler had a traumatic childhood and an abusive father. Does that change what he did?
That’s not even remotely on the same level.
@@Ninaagabi The number of victims is much different, but the principle is the same. Personal/psychological issues does not justify evil acts.
@@Lindenrd25 still no
@@Ninaagabi mass murder is still mass murder, you moron. Doesn’t matter the scale. Whether it’s 17 children or millions of Jewish people. Your arrogance is corny
Do not justify but do give possible contributing factors that may need consideration for penalty/sentencing.
Nikolas Cruz has experienced a very damaged childhood; pain and suffering, and no fault of his own. The severe damaging comments made to his face, as a child by vicious neighbors, the relentless bullying from his own brother and, students at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas School, and at the special schools he attended when he was a younger child were the environmental component of his make up; that coupled with drugs (prescription & non-prescription), alcohol, etc. that his birth mother ingested, while Nikolas was forming in her womb definitely contributed to the genetic component of his make up. And through no fault of his own. He has suffered and died, not physically, but emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually; through no fault of his own, but from other people. His personhood has been under attack since he was born. I feel for him.
That didn’t give him license to kill. He had more interventions and therapy than most kids like him
I agree.
Do you feel for the 17 people he brutally murdered?
@@Lindenrd25 Some if those students who were physically killed may very well have been part of the problem. To be indifferent, watch from a distance, and not get involved, while other vicious students relentlessly bully, demean, and dehumanize another human being, is contributing to the problem. Sorry for those students who were killed, but Cruz, as other students get killed emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually, as they get dehumanized from the bullying, and, torturing other students inflict on them.
@@gloryB-3 Cruz by all accounts bullied and antogonized others, picking fights in school and posting racist comments online. He wasn't a pure victim by any means.
They really just throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks, aren't they? Anything to excuse a killer kid...
I can’t pretend to know what’s in his mind unless I know what was in his mind
Why only monthly therapy sessions? 🤔🙄🤦🏼♀️
"Therapy sessions" were there just to evaluate his progress (or not) and modify drug prescriptions. Nikolas, the murderer has been a devil in the flesh his entire life. I feel sorry for Linda who basically hasn't had a chance to survive this monster.
Possible insurance wouldn't cover it or the fact he was misdiagnosed
What progress was ever made with all this treatment and counseling? Its all baloney, look at them. Each one is a weirdo and the one lady could barely speak english today let alone when Nick was a child. They repeat the same BS for every child they see.
Apparently, some people have a difficulty to get in terms with the fact, that devil exists. And some individuals are demon-possessed no matter what you do, no matter the enormous amount of love and resources has been poured onto them: devil is an ultimate destroyer; his inhuman behavior and destructive actions are beyond of your control.
@GoinRogue I am a mental health therapist. Did you have a bad experience with a therapist or psychiatrist? You seem so angry….
The excruciating details about a simple "intake form" are mind-bendingly repetitive. We can all see what is written. Why does she ask questions about every single, line-item detail? This is why courts get bogged down. Establish the evidence and get on with the punishment. The victims are suffering through all these irrelevant details. This monster needs no sympathy.
He looks like Dr Jacoby from Twin Peaks
All the pictures shown of both boys, clearly indicates that they were well taken care of.... they always presented clean, neat, healthy, extremely well dressed and smiling naturally and even looking happy, loved and well adjusted kids.... this is a very important factor seemingly missed in all the anylisys.... this already indicated that the parents cared and loved the two boys and gave them the best start in life they were capable of with the limited knowledge of dealing with adopted kids where gene's and background history always plays a huge part in their behavior as they grow up and developed ...as to kids that's been neglected, abused, diprived of healthy food, not having a decent place to live, limited education, and subjected to poverty etc..
The fact that unfortunately the father died when they were still todlers and the mom struggled to cope with the boys, her loss and not having a father figure for them, not being the petfect know it all, do it all mom... not being strict enough, spoiling them, she still loved them and kept them out of the foster system where they could have been subjected to much worse treatment...
I hope when he now gets to look back at his childhood pictures as n grown-up he would at least acknowledge the fact that he was loved and privileged to have those two people in his life and even struggling with ADHD and developmental issues still was not a reason to kill innocent people as his actios were well planned, the gun modified, his conversations , social post etc... shows that he knew what he was doing...
Even having a second chance being taken in by his friend's caring parents who tried to give him a stable loving environment where he proved that he had the ability to behave himself and improve his life, showed no signs that alerted them, they even paid for treatment for him and he still took their love and care for granted...
He might not had the best childhood but he certainly did not have the worse either even with the social system failing him..
Never judge a book by it's cover.
That is so moronic
Just because a child "appears" clean and loved, does not, by any means support the idea that he had a good childhood. This Mother had no control or grip on the way Nikolas was and ultimately failed him, as did many other "professionals"
Pictures can be deceiving
What's going on with TH-cam never having this channel in my recommended? I have to search and sign up for all notices just to see videos.
No idea. I'm not subscribed and it pops up in my recommended all the time!
Try unsubscribing and then subscribing again. Don't forget to click the bell and all videos. Sometimes it works
you're an idiot. that's the deal.
There is no excuse to kill innocent ppl.
i don't think anyone was looking for an excuse, but an explanation makes a difference - it is one thing when a brain-damaged and mentally challenged person does it, and something else when a sadistic psychopath does. no difference to the victims and their families of course, but the society at large should see the difference to learn from it and try to do something to avoid future occurrences. but also because I personally, and many others clearly, feel we can't judge them the same way. in this particular case, there were so many systemic societal failures at play that just pointing the finger at the killer would be deluding ourselves. he was the sum total of all the things that made him into what he became, a broken car on a crash course.
It sounds like no one had ever made Nikolas a priority. Bio mom gave him up, adoptive dad died and adoptive mom was embarrassed by him. Brother probably knew how to play mom and others so he looked like the good child, further stigmatizing Nikolas. Sad situation all around. Who knows how many lives could have been saved if Nikolas early years had been different
The paper shuffled is very loud and annoying
It sounds like Cruz mom wasn’t happy and she gave up on disciplining the boys and just gave in
Sad that a child was failed. I always have empathy for children even Nikolas because at the age of 7, he wasnt who he was at the time of the shooting. I hate to hear about a neglected child but it seems his mother was doing her best and he is solely responsible for his actions.
From what I gather, this could have been prevented.
@@uggggggghhhhh his mom would let men hit her stomach when she was pregnant.
Omg, I Could Read Her SS # and Address and Phone "!!!🙄
And? She's dead so it means nothing now
Mom was too old to adopt such small children, but she did what she could.. who is to say anyone else would have been able to do any better? I don't think this could have been prevented. What is there to learn from this? That is the real question we should each ask, and answer, for ourselves.
Mental health issues again and again, it never ends
We must do better for the sake of all of our children
Mental illness runs in his bio mom’s family and bio mom abused drugs and alcohol during her pregnancy. Adoption, for whatever reason, is difficult on the child when child has no mental illness family history. Plus, sounds like adoptive family was older, not a good fit at times.
I thought 💭 this trial was over 😞
What do you mean? Trial over
October- November maybe.
I just figured they'd give him death and be done with it.
@@Snail.1 Your saying that because that's what you want. The decision is in the hands of, hopefully, the INDIVIDUAL Jurors.
@@Snail.1 Trial's far from over. Defense has a strong case
Interesting how much of this is from his biological mothers drug/alcohol/smoking during his gestation on top of the drugs he was pumped full of from so young. His brain was shorted from the start. So many what ifs. Would be interesting if he wasn't treated with drugs but instead taken into a natural environment away from all technology with firm guidance.
The psychologist is so cute 🥺👨🏻🦳
You guys actually showed Lynda Cruz’s SSN? Wow
She is now deceased and this was a live coverage. The court allowed that to be displayed.
What's SSN?
@@alisonwonderland8680 social security number
She's dead so it means nothing and has no need to be kept confidential...
Nature vs nurture
It sounds like adoptive mom may have had mental health issues as well
I was a grandmother not long after I was 49 yo
So, how many more troubled kids are there out there who exhibit a similar degree of difficulty and who are not in receipt of the support they need and deserve? Their support is as much for our benefit, as theirs.
Why aren't all these professions not taking responsibility for all Nikolas dangerous outbreaks, they need to be held responsible to for failing him since a young age! Just my opinion after watching court
What a wonderful understanding and compassionate man this psychologist is. If only he had more people like this in his corner, he wouldn't have felt so lost and alone in this world. Such a sad case. Those people killed were victims but so is Nikolas. People on here that are just deeming his as "evil" because they lack the capacity to delve deeper and look into all of this information, background etc infuriates me. As a parent of a special needs child, I've found so many people are just ignorant to such conditions and how much they can affect someone's life. Add those conditions to being directly affected whilst developing in the womb, being relentlessly bullied and told he wasn't loved or worth anything, not being given the proper guidance and support by his Mother... I could go on, the list is endless. Just a tragedy all round
Hes a quack. People in his profession only milk people for money and are unable to live up to people's expection of what the profession is intended to be.
The intervention Nikolas needed was and is Divine intervention; not worldly Psychologist, Counselors, Psychiatrists, and Educators. Why didn't the Educators at the school see the signs and problems the other students who were offending Nikolas, had. They are the ones who needed to be dealt with; discipline, suspend and expell from the school. I would love to speak with Nikolas and bring him to Christ.
@S E Blamed the school because they are a secular institution with secular, ungodly Educators, and cruel, demonic students; I'm not saying all.
@S E Blamed the school because they are a secular institution with secular, ungodly Educators, and cruel, demonic students; I'm not saying all.
God isn’t helping a situation we’ve created as a society
He was a crack baby. God knows what harm that did to a child.
Nikolas jacob cruz get binder by led headlights of xenon headlights be good for him
Are they allowed to show all of the mothers personal info on TV? Her SSN was on there.
Omg.
She’s dead now but still doubt it should have been shown.
@@OpalBLeigh Oh thanks, I thought the adoptive mother had him by this point.
She is no longer living, she passed in 2017. Another reason why they believe this horrible tragedy happened.
@@shelbylynn209 What was her cause of death?…
SHAME doctor! You had an opportunity to change the course of this human being’s life right at the critical age of 8 before it would become nearly impossible to reach him. We took these children off meds, detoxed them, brought them into intensive therapy for 2 weeks with ALL family present and ALL family members receiving intensive therapy. There is no education or discussion or meds that reaches these kids and that helps these families consistently and with ongoing in depth actual living and feeling through emotions. It is not about TALKING it out or role modeling. Emotions must be experienced in loving and honest intensive therapy sessions. You are so smug that you think you have no culpability! Wow. We were successful with these kids in every case. They were all extremely capable and even likely to act out violence in horrific ways (some had done so before they were brought to us) but NONE of them have done so since receiving therapy that is effective. Again, you had more than 4 decades of not understanding or properly treating kids that are likely to kill. SHAME on you.
You really think a psychologist is a psychic? He wouldn’t have known that this monster would’ve took guns to his former HS and shot innocent children and adults. That’s ridiculous to presume that of this man. Who you SHOULD blame are the people who were his caregivers, for not giving a damn about his mental illness and state of mind.
@@FreeTheTrolls as professionals, we know. These counselors and psychiatrists have access to the same information, studies, therapies, and outcomes that we do. It’s solid evidence and yet they ignored it. By the way, if you’re a layperson, my extensive comment and knowledge is not to you. In fact you do not need to take my chastisement personally unless you’re a professional in my field and have neglected your ethical responsibility as these professionals have done.
@@FreeTheTrolls tut tut. Deleting your comment because you got embarrassed by your own stupidity does not take it down. Here it is:
J LV said:
You really think a psychologist is a psychic? He wouldn’t have known that this monster would’ve took guns to his former HS and shot innocent children and adults. That’s ridiculous to presume that of this man. Who you SHOULD blame are the people who were his caregivers, for not giving a damn about his mental illness and state of mind.
They probably raised it (their tumultuous relationship) to an art form. Nikolas was easily set off and Zachary seemed to derive pleasure from pushing Nicholas's buttons. I had to laugh a bit at this: It brings back memories. But not good for a kid on the edge. Little Nikky needed more friends.
He said he did it because he was lonely
Is it just me or do they look alike?!
8 yaars old. This presenter.
Anyone else notice the three 6s in Cruz's home address? Just saying 😬