佛罗里达州劳德代尔堡佛罗里达州校园枪击案的律师尼古拉斯·克鲁兹(Nikolas Cruz)周三突然出人意料地停止了他们的案件，导致了一场大喊大叫的比赛，此前法官指责他们缺乏专业精神。
克鲁兹的律师告诉法官和检察官，他们将传唤80名证人，但在周三庭审开始时，他们只传唤了约25名证人。总共有11天的辩护证词，最后两天是专家关注他的生母在怀孕期间大量饮酒可能影响他大脑发育的情况。
首席律师梅利莎·麦克尼尔(Melisa McNeill)的突然宣布导致她和巡回法官伊丽莎白·舍雷尔(Elizabeth McNeill)之间发生了激烈的争吵，后者称这一没有向她或检方发出警告的决定是“最不必要、最不专业的案件审理方式”
12名陪审团成员和10名候补成员没有出席，但在法庭外排队等候进入。这一突然宣布也意味着检察官还没有准备好开始他们的反驳案件。
当舍雷尔问他们是否可以开始时，迈克·萨茨举起双手，紧张地笑了笑，说“不”
“我们正在等待40多名(辩方)证人，”萨茨说。
舍雷尔随后指责克鲁兹的律师不顾及所有相关人员，尤其是陪审员，浪费了他们的法庭之旅。
“让22个人走进法庭等待，就好像这是一场游戏。在我的职业生涯中，我从未经历过如此不专业的程度，”舍雷尔提高了嗓门说道。
麦克尼尔愤怒地反驳道，“你在我的客户面前侮辱我的记录，”舍雷尔告诉她停下来。随后，舍雷尔抨击了麦克尼尔，自三年前预审听证会开始以来，她与麦克尼尔的关系一直不睦。
“在整个审判过程中，你一直在侮辱我，”舍雷尔冲着麦克尼尔吼道。“公然摘下耳机，与我争论，怒气冲冲地离开，如果你不喜欢我的裁决，就故意迟到。因此，坦率地说，这是早就应该做的。所以请坐下。”
23岁的克鲁兹去年10月承认于2018年2月14日在帕克兰的马乔里·斯通曼·道格拉斯高中谋杀了14名学生和3名工作人员。对他的审判，现在结束了第二个月，只是为了确定他是被判处死刑还是不得假释的终身监禁。
在他的律师休息后，他宣誓告诉舍雷尔，他同意这个决定。
他的律师在整个案件中的主题一直是展示他的生母在怀孕期间酗酒如何将克鲁兹推上了一生的道路，行为古怪，怪异，经常暴力，最终导致枪击事件。他们还试图证明，他的养母琳达·克鲁兹(Lynda Cruz)在丈夫去世后变得不知所措，而且从未给他提供适当的治疗。
他们正试图克服检方的说法，这集中在克鲁兹的大屠杀上，当时他拿着AR-15式半自动步枪在一栋三层教学楼里潜行了七分钟。首席检察官迈克·萨茨播放了枪击事件的安全视频，并展示了克鲁兹使用的步枪。老师和学生作证说看到了其他人死去。
萨茨展示了生动的尸检和犯罪现场照片，并把陪审员带到了被栅栏围起来的建筑，这座建筑仍然血迹斑斑，弹痕累累。父母和配偶含泪愤怒地陈述了他们的损失。
检察官表示，他们需要一周多的时间来准备反驳。审判暂定于9月27日继续。
Defense suddenly rests case in Florida school shooter trial
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. --Attorneys for Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz suddenly and surprisingly rested their case Wednesday, leading to a shouting match after the judge accused them of a lack of professionalism.
Cruz's attorneys had told the judge and prosecutors they would be calling 80 witnesses but rested at the beginning of Wednesday's court session after calling only about 25. There were 11 days of defense testimony overall, the last two spotlighting experts about how his birth mother's heavy use of alcohol during pregnancy might have affected his brain's development.
The sudden announcement by lead attorney Melisa McNeill led to a head exchange between her and Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, who called the decision without warning to her or the prosecution “the most uncalled for, unprofessional way to try a case.”
The 12-member jury and 10 alternates were not present but were lining up outside the courtroom to enter. The sudden announcement also meant that prosecutors were not ready to begin their rebuttal case.
Mike Satz threw his hands up when Scherer asked if they could begin and, with a nervous laugh, said “no."
“We’re waiting for 40 more (defense) witnesses,” Satz said.
Scherer then accused Cruz's attorneys of being inconsiderate to all involved, but especially the jurors for wasting their trip to court.
“To have 22 people march into court and be waiting as if it is some kind of game. I have never experienced such a level of unprofessionalism in my career," Scherer said, raising her voice.
McNeill countered angrily, “You are insulting me on the record in front of my client," before Scherer told her to stop. Scherer then laid into McNeill, with whom she has had a testy relationship since pretrial hearings began three years ago.
“You’ve been insulting me the entire trial,” Scherer barked at McNeill. “Blatantly taking your headphones off, arguing with me, storming out, coming late intentionally if you don’t like my rulings. So, quite frankly, this has been long overdue. So please be seated.”
Cruz, 23, pleaded guilty last October to murdering 14 students and three staff members on Feb. 14, 2018, at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. His trial, now ending its second month, is only to determine whether he is sentenced to death or life without parole.
After his attorneys rested, he told Scherer under oath that he agreed with the decision.
His attorneys' theme throughout their case has been to show how his birth mother's alcohol abuse during pregnancy put Cruz onto a lifelong path of erratic, bizarre and often violent behavior that culminated in the shootings. They also tried to show that his adoptive mother, Lynda Cruz, became overwhelmed after her husband died when Cruz was 5 and never got him the proper treatment.
They are trying to overcome the prosecution’s case, which focused on Cruz’s massacre as he stalked a three-story classroom building for seven minutes with an AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle. Lead prosecutor Mike Satz played security videos of the shooting and showed the rifle Cruz used. Teachers and students testified about watching others die.
Satz showed graphic autopsy and crime scene photos and took jurors to the fenced-off building, which remains blood-stained and bullet-pocked. Parents and spouses gave tearful and angry statements about their loss.
Prosecutors said they will need more than a week to prepare their rebuttal case. The trial is tentatively scheduled to resume Sept. 27.
