This Monday was a day of final arguments in the trial against the school resource officer of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland, then a jury will decide whether or not he complied with his obligation to care for the students during the shooting that took place on February 14, 2018.
After the closing arguments, the future of Scot Peterson will be in the hands of the jury. If there is not unanimity among the 6 members of the jury, the trial could be mistrial and a new one should start.
At 9:35 in the morning on Monday, the hearing began with the presentation of the prosecution.
Assistant State’s Attorney Kristen Gomes said Peterson chose to run and let an unrestrained killer roam the halls for four minutes and 15 seconds.
He also told the jury that another reaction was expected from Peterson: “for example, that he valued the lives of children as much as he valued his own.”
After a brief recess, Peterson’s attorney presented his arguments, and he did so with a spirited defense.
“He was extraordinary for 32 years, but in 4 minutes and 15 seconds he became a criminal. We are here for that monster, questioned attorney Mark Eiglarsh. While in court, the monitors displayed a photo of the Parkland killer.
Then he showed a video showing the school resource officer at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school arriving in a golf cart to the building where the shots were heard.
“One minute and 6 seconds… That was the time my client had, from when Aaron Feis was shot, to the moment the monster reached the third floor and started shooting,” the lawyer said.
During his lawyer’s presentation, Scot Peterson broke down and cried. Then Mark Eiglarsh said that his defendant had dedicated years to the protection and care of children, that he cared about them and “now they are going to say that he sat and did nothing,” he said.
When the jury deliberates, they must return to the courtroom with a decision. If you are not found guilty or innocent, it is because there was no unanimity of criteria, and the judge will ask you to deliberate again. If the decision is repeated “then the judge could annul the trial and in that case they would have to start over with a new jury,” explains criminal lawyer Erick Cruz.
Scot Peterson is charged with 7 counts of felony child neglect, and 3 counts of culpable neglect.
