Parkland school shooter’s sister recalls difficult childhood, says mom smoked crack, drank while pregnant
Danielle Woodard, the half-sister of Nikolas Cruz, recalled her traumatic childhood under her mother Brenda
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Testifying Monday on behalf of her brother, Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz, Danielle Woodard recalled her tumultuous upbringing as her mother became consumed by drugs and alcohol.
Woodard, who is Cruz’s half-sister, said she lived with her mom, Brenda, as a child and "numerous" others including her grandmother, Dorothy, and foster care.
A photo combination of Nikolas Cruz and his half-sister Danielle Woodard, who's scheduled to testify on his behalf Monday. (Amy Bath via Associated Press/ Miami-Dade County Corrections)
Woodward is now living at Turner Guildford Knight Correctional Center where she is awaiting trial for allegedly car-jacking a 72-year-old woman in January 2020.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Holding back tears, and visibly nervous, Woodard recalled in horrific detail, her traumatic childhood. She said as a pre-teen she watched her mother regularly drink alcohol, smoke crack cocaine, and prostitute herself. She also recalled at least one instance, where her mom made her pee in a cup to pass a drug test during probation.
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Woodward told jurors that her mom put her addiction before herself, her half-brother Nikolas, or her other son, Zachary. Asked overall how Brenda was as a mother, Danielle replied with one word: "horrible."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Her testimony reiterated Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeil’s opening statements that Cruz’s brain "is broken," as she tried to convince the jury for life in prison instead of the death penalty.
Nikolas Cruz, 23, in court Monday, Aug. 22, 2022, at his penalty trial. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool)
Cruz is standing trial for the Valentine's Day 2018 massacre of 17 people at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of first-degree murder.
For Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz's lead attorney, his Valentine's Day 2018 massacre of 17 people didn't begin when he stepped into a building at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and opened fire with his AR-15-style semiautomatic rifle.
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Prosecutors concluded their case Aug. 4. There had been a two-week hiatus so some jurors could deal with personal issues and the lawyers with some legal ones.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.