The saying that an apple does not fall far fromthe tree is interesting to Nikolas Cruz. Despite being adopted and raised from birth by those with no criminal record, Nikolas Cruz displayed violent tendencies from an early age – a trait he most likely inherited from his 62-year-old criminal biological mother, Brenda Woodard, who has been the subject of various allegations such as battery, Bulgarians, gun possession and hard drugs was arrested. Let’s take a closer look at Nikolas Cruz’s person, his upbringing, family history, girlfriend and other facts about him.
Nikolas Cruz’s Biography (Ethnicity)
Nikolas Jacob Cruz was born to Brenda Norma Woodward on September 24, 1998 in Florida but was immediately adopted along with his younger half-brother by Roger and Lynda Cruz. He has 2 half-siblings; Danielle Woodard and Zachary Cruz. He and Zachary were raised by Lynda after her husband Roger died of cardiac arrest when Cruz was only 5 years old. Nikolas was diagnosed with autism as a child and had a difficult childhood.
Nikolas was once a student at Douglas High School, Parkland, but was expelled from the school. There are various accounts as to why he was actually expelled. One of the reports states that he fought with his ex-girlfriend’s new boyfriend, while another report states that he was in possession of a knife and bullets on his backpack. But whatever is true, one fact is true, Nikolas loved playing with weapons like knives and guns.
Despite all due diligence, Cruz ended up under his careparents, he had anger issues and a penchant for violence from a young age. He is said to have pulled a gun on Lynda Cruz’s head when an argument broke out between them, and he is also said to have threatened his younger half-brother with a gun over a jar of Nutella. His act of violence was extended to the public, their neighbors’ pets and pets suffered from the young man’s wrath.
His condition worsened at the worst when his foster mother died when he moved in with the Deschamps in a trailer home in Lantana with his brother Zack. The loss of his foster mother affected his mental health and although he was registered for treatment in a psychiatric facility, he did not follow his treatment. He stopped taking his medication and gave up counseling sessions in which he acted unusually. This led to frequent calls to law enforcement officers on his account – some 23 times.
When Pandemonium broke out, he quickly slipped. He left his gun and the remaining machines on school grounds and blended into the crowd of students before the long arm of the law finally caught up with him near Coral Springs, where he was probably cooling off.
The event was widely condemned by Senator for Florida, Marco Rubio. Gov. Rick Scott also took action and reviewed the state’s gun control laws, and President Donald Trump also condemned the act and called on people with mental illnesses to report to the health facility so they can be protected from future events.
Family – parents, brother
Brenda Norma Woodward is the birth of Nikolas Cruzmother; his biological father is not known. Brenda was born in 1956 and has faced the law since she was young. She has been imprisoned at least 28 times for various crimes. He also has an older half-sister, Danielle Woodard, who is also in prison for drug, violence, and other offenses.
His adopted parents are Roger Cruz and Lynda Cruz, who adopted Nikolas (and his half-brother Zachary). While Roger died of a heart attack, Lynda died of pneumonia on November 1, 2017 and her foster sons were left without a caregiver worldwide.
Zachary Cruz is the half brother of Nikolas Cruz and was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at an early age. He has had some emotional and relationship crises with his older brother in the past, but his escape was his love of skateboarding. He was taken into custody and under investigation following his brother’s shooting incident.
girlfriend
Nikolas had a girlfriend named Emily whom he became obsessed with the fact that he could do anything for her. However, along with the administration, their relationship became abusive and she had to call it an end. This really annoyed him that he issued death threats to her and her new boyfriend, even over their social media handle. Not content with that, he expanded the threat to Emily’s family.
Conviction of Nikolas Cruz
Nikolas was arrested and interrogated, and a clip of his confessional interview was released by police. The interview lasted approximately 6 hours and 30 minutes where he confessed to the crime and explained that he heard voices in his head telling him what to do. After routine medical checks, he was jailed on February 15, 2018. Defense Attorney Melisa McNeill, Deputy Defense Attorney for Broward County, said Nikolas Cruz terribly regrets his actions after the 17 indictments were read to him.
He needs at least one jury member to pity him and buy into his argument to avoid the death penalty. We’ll wait and see how they argue on his case and what his verdict will be at the next hearing scheduled for September 2019.