The biological sister of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz is currently in jail on a carjacking charge, and her upcoming trial could be complicated by his, the Miami Herald reports.
The attorneys for Danielle Woodard, 35, want to withdraw from her case because they don’t agree with her wishes to testify on her brother’s behalf in his trial.
Cruz's trial is due to begin later this month. As the Herald points out, Cruz is adopted and has had no contact with his birth mother or sister, who was in prison at the time of the 2018 mass shooting. It's not known what the extent of the relationship between Cruz and his sister is.
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"The timing and details of her potential testimony in Broward County circuit court also remain unclear. Although she didn’t grow up with Cruz, Woodard could tell jurors about their mother’s substance abuse," the Herald reports. "Cruz’s defense team has signaled that it will argue that while in the womb, he suffered brain damage from her drugs and alcohol. It’s possible that the defense attorneys would point to Woodward’s own long history of criminal trouble to bolster that argument."
Cruz, 23, has pleaded guilty to murdering 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland, Florida He also pleaded guilty to wounding 17 others.