Parkland trial: Nikolas Cruz preschool teacher describes early aggression | LiveNOW from FOX

[@cynthiakiy1406]

As a retired social worker I can attest to the fact that so many adoptive parents had no idea what they were getting into when adopting children who were exposed to alcohol and drugs prenatally.

[@Stopwar1234]

Omg I always thought this was disclosed

[@emmyily]

@@Stopwar1234 it is disclosed, that doesn't mean they know what they are in for when it comes to possible behaviors

[@mimi1o8]

@@Jessesgirl0307 on top of that Educators are underpaid and undervalued, when obviously should be the opposite,

[@SnowdropWood]

@Hockeymom #67 Scientifically speaking, the most important period of development in a child's brain (in terms of future personality traits, hormone regulation, nervous system function, and so on) takes place before they reach school age.

[@Jessesgirl0307]

@@mimi1o8 I know a few teachers that are over paid for what they do. They just don't care anymore. I've even watched a few teachers here on KZbin and Facebook say they quit because it was too overwhelming for them, even though they were paid well. The only teachers who make really great money are specialists in a field. Such as a speech therapist. Starting pay for them in FL is around 70k. But they have more degrees than just teaching.

[@savcon4043]

I attended this preschool from ‘95 to ‘00 and was very close with Ms. Anne. She truly is amazing. I miss her so much. She did a great job providing details and her perspective on his childhood behaviors.

[@UpTheNazis]

no one cares shut up

[@Glock20187]

@@savcon4043 wish nothing but the best for ya

[@PraveenSrJ01]

Thank you for sharing

[@BookishDark]

This is a good woman and educator - as an early childhood educator, I have to say she is EXTREMELY careful and kind with her words, even knowing what he’s become. This has to be a very comforting testimony to parents of children who have been in her care - she is extremely fair in her descriptions. It’s actually not as common as you’d think - a lot of educators can be very judgmental. You can tell she’s very loving.

[@franniebear777]

I hate to say this but my heart breaks for the little boy that he WAS. 1. A Bio mom that did not care enough to quit taking harmful substances while pregnant and no attempt to even try to get help, 2.A system that failed to properly diagnose and TREAT his issues as a child and later as a teen. 3. An adoptive mother who loved him with all her heart but did not want to see or admit something was wrong and ultimately allowed him and went with him to purchase a GUN (even the airsoft type) against professional advice, 4. Broward County only allowing him at MSD if he signed away the help he always had for his needs I feel hurt for the little scared, anxious, overwhelmed little boy he used to be that seemed to have almost everything against him from the start. HOWEVER, I DO NOT have any sympathy for the person sitting there today, He had a hard life since he was conceived as do Millions of others, many in worse situations and they DO NOT go and kill innocent children. My point is this; while I have sympathy for that little boy that he was, what he did in 2018 to those 17 innocent angels plus all the injured emotionally and physically was Pure evil. He was cold and calculated and didn't care about anyone except carrying out his sick and twisted murder mission. I DO think we can learn A LOT from studying this case so we can prevent similar stories in the future, He was doomed from the start and failed by many but WE THE PUBLIC and ALL those at MSD and their loved ones were failed as well.... many reports to police, administrators, even the FBI and yet again NOBODY did anything. When things like this happen all i hear is "If you see something suspicious report it." This case shows that reporting is not enough if the people who are supposed to do something about it simply don't.

[@HopefulInterventions]

Well said!

[@veronatragedy7016]

Poor little angels? I have zero sympathy for his victims.

[@sara.m88]

@@veronatragedy7016 you're kidding right????

[@franniebear777]

@@sA-ny2jl I also wonder how he got passed the checks to buy a rifle with being special need as well as being put in a mental hospital/ward for eval. from personal experience when I went to get help for myself mentally I had to sign a paper saying I was waiving my right to buy or possess a firearm for 5 years (I live in Illinois so things may be state based though) in regard togun, I have had the same question about his mother and if he would have killed her if she was alive. from the letters he sent to that girl in the UK it seems he talks well of her though so who knows... the reality is quite clear, he killed because he WANTED to and got/gets enjoyment out of any type of attention.

[@franniebear777]

@@sA-ny2jl my reply got cut short. in regard to the gun i was referring to in the trial when they told His adoptive mom not to buy him an airsoft gun or ANY type and she did anyway as well as ignoring the counselor telling her ROTC was not appropriate for him. I a MILLION percent agree with the fact teachers let too many things go, and have similar stories to you where I was hurt by others Physically and verbally. They say he was not a bully and that MAY be true but it is also a POSSIBILITY he was one. Very often it seems adults disregard actions of children and think they are always an accident or without a bad intention. Kids can and some are violent and calculating. As for this case I stand by my first comment on how I feel about it but that does not mean i cannot see other viewpoints or accept that I will never have all the information because I was not in those rooms or personally part of any of this. (Thankfully)

[@Kaylebfinds]

As a mother of two little boys… please raise your children with LOVE and kindness and if they need help GET THEM PROFESSIONAL HELP.

[@Cwgrlup]

This kid was a brutal killer from the day he was born.

[@bethprather9241]

I am a retired teacher and raised 3 sons. My middle son had spme issues early on and went to counceling and took adhd meds. I lost him at 14 in 8th grade too several smoking pot. It was an in and out drug thing that he went to church camp, came back and I was called again. I took him out, homeschooled him best I could. He got his GED. HE IS AN addict still. Clean 3 years then back and forth. BUT, I really didnt see him as a school shooter( I have saw some that could be if they come back at a later age.).. Still my son was disruptive I couldnt teach and I took him out , he went to church homeschool programs and a great GED program. Public schools should have limits. Some kids have so many issues and deserve IEP and special ed plans.. and doctors and yes eventually take them to a special school. The rest need to learn in a safe environment and the special needs child needs more specific help.

[@gryphonennis1002]

Nice idea, but pretty much impossible in the united states. I have a friend with a troubled child and I have personally contacted multiple agencies trying to help her get help for her child. I was told repeatedly (by psychiatric children agencies) the only thing to do is call the cops. Hope the cops dont kill the kid and then hope that the legal system decides the kid should be referred for therapy. No one wants to ruin the kid's life that way. So what can be done? This mom has struggled so hard to get counseling for the kid- there is just nothing here and the system is over whelmed. And I am in the medical profession, so I do have contacts and it is to no avail.

[@veronniep]

@@bethprather9241 The problem with "special schools" is when you group all the high behavior kids in one school, all they see is other kids having high behaviors, and that becomes normalized to them. Kids behaviors' tend to increase when they are segregated into these environments, because they don't have any examples of pro-social behaviors and positive peer relationships. It's the same reason why, if a teenager is just starting to test boundaries picks up a minor charge for something like weed possession, you don't want to put them in juvi with the kids that have gang involvement. Suddenly you're surrounding them with worse influences, and kids develop so much of their sense of self based on peer influences. So as nice as it sounds in theory to have a school that gives kids more help than public schools, the reality is that the social aspect of these schools creates more harm than help.

[@sherriianiro747]

There are no guarantees in life.

[@giuseppinasanger6410]

As the mom of a child who has been diagnosed atypical neurologically and who has struggled her whole life with social interaction, I cannot listen to this testimony without feeling so sad for the little boy who he was. I’m not saying it should change the penalty, but it is heartbreaking that this child had such a horrible start to his life as a fetus and struggled this much as a toddler.

[@Lovepeacejoy..]

I agree with you & I too, am feeling such sadness for the innocent little boy he was & how things turned out.

[@Katie-rx8ql]

I feel sorry for him. It's obviously a disorder he has. It seems he was born with something wrong. Because of this I don't think they should impose the death sentence on him.

[@brandonayala4605]

Well said

[@jackie.mendoza]

I’m coming from the same place. My heart broke for that little boy. How neglected must a child be in order to feel the pain as an adult that caused him to kill other people so violently?

[@francescaparlapiano3402]

I genuinely agree with you especially with how well you made your point across. Because definitely we wouldn’t be human if these things didn’t make us sad and feel and empathy. My sadness is for that little boy. Idk if I’m explaining this but my sadness for the “inner child” because me, myself personally being on the spectrum and having to end up now 23 and having to diagnose myself. I don’t believe that hurt little boy is in there or if at some point maybe just the hope as a child that went away. I feel sad for the opportunities that little boy. That troubled but innocent boy that had hope and could possibly still be seen and helped let alone his first home meaning his bio mothers womb. He was doomed from the start and I can’t speak really on facts but more on my feelings currently watching this strictly as a viewers point of view I don’t have empathy for the person sitting there, But more for the still innocent little boy who never really had a chance to deter from this and possibly just made that innocent boy hate the world. Lose empathy. And turn into basically just skin and bones meaning I think his genuine soul was gone and pushed down forever that now lead to this, meaning for how long and severe all factors are I don’t have empathy for that person sitting there at this point I genuinely feel that this is now irreversible due to lack of awareness and love on his family growing up that any hope or help I feel is gone. But this is me genuinely liking how well you worded that and mainly asking if what anything I’m saying makes sense.. in all honesty this is the last topic I want to not convey exactly what I mean in still a respectful, non expert way that’s not bullying nor hating but also admitting that the person sitting there isn’t who I’m feeling sad for if that even makes sense

[@pheebler]

You can have a horrible childhood and still not become a vindictive murderer

[@justthatgirl-ct4jo]

Absolutely, but everyone's mind is different. A lot of victims become predators, but not all.

[@cadespencer6320]

what about mental issues and developmental problems and a combo of all of those?

[@malcriadamedina5358]

And you can have a horrible childhood and be a vindictive murderer. Why do you think a woman gets killed once every 5 hours in the United States...

[@intheBlueDark]

An unsympathetic and nuance-less take

[@mattbicazette502]

You can have a brain and still not use it

[@yeagemk]

Im a behavior analyst. Ive worked with kids as young as 4 and as old as 21, and plenty of adults. Ive been in many daycare settings with children who present this way. Its not at all uncommon for a class to have at least one student who is struggling in the ways this teacher described. During these early stages, it is crucial to have services in place to give the child the skills they are lacking, and to assist them in processing their hardships. Alfred Adler, one of the most influential psychologists, would often argue that children who are not trained and adept in cooperation with others often develop a pessimistic attitude towards not just themselves, but others in general. Without proper intervention this can be the genesis of the criminal mind; a young boy who does not find it easy to get along with his peers, and who does not get the appropriate treatemnt, can develop a pessimistic attitude towards his felllow man. This anger festers. The individual finds themselves increasingly isolated and increasingly resentful. Eventually this resentment boils over into downright hositle energy. In rare cases, this energy results in disaster. Perhaps it is true that Nicholas Cruz, unable to attain validation through conventional means, becomes bitter as a result of being rejected by his peers. He wishes to seek revenge for his misfortune. Because he has not developed sufficient coping skills, he blames others for his challenges. Along the way he is exposed to the idea of being a mass shooter. He is attracted to this fantasy. It offers him a sense of vengence and superiority. It is his opportunity to prove to others his dominance and power. This my friends is the criminal mind. Adler would say that we are all seeking to attain superiority in some way. Most of us attain this drive through pro-social means. Some individuals though find themselves either unwilling or unable to do so. Enter the school shooter. It is important for people to realize the pathology to the criminal mind. What children are exposed to at a young age matters. Ill be honest, as a clinician, I would love to talk with Cruz. Before he was a mass shooter, he was a person just like anyone else. Understanding his journey is key to preventing further disasters. Simply looking to ban guns is not the answer.

[@TheFLOPY3032]

Thank you for your professional opinion, it’s really interesting and helpful to understand a little bit more .

[@yeagemk]

@@TheFLOPY3032 My pleasure, im so glad you found it helpful. Its really fascinating stuff, isn't it?

[@luckylisp455]

Neurodivergence and FANTASY can be a problem. I see it in one of my own boys. It can be positive too of course, and we know that imagination has given us great inventions, works of art, music and literature by ND people. But, when fantasy is allowed to overshadow reality, unfettered, it becomes reality. I think NC saw guns and violence solving problems and settling the score in fantasy (movies, gaming), and saw it playing out in reality too. He had a score to settle because his disability made him an outcast, destroyed his self esteem and made him angry. It was a fatal misfortune that his area of interest, and the fantasy he used to model reality, was weapons. But his care givers had an absolute duty of care to pull him from that fantasy. Easier said than done, I know. But that is what would have made the difference.

[@kimapps8169]

Of course it is. Banning guns means no mass shooting in schools.

[@yeagemk]

@@kimapps8169 I understand your argument, but even if we could somehow create an environment where it was impossible to get guns, there are countless other ways a person can inflict evil on others. Would it make a difference? I dont know, maybe, maybe not. I do believe that it should be a little harder in some states to get guns, but that's sure as he'll won't prevent evil from happening. The trick would be getting to these individuals before they get to that tipping point. Not only might we prevent a future criminal, we might even nurture that person into a productive member of society.

[@QuackDragon]

As an autistic person, I want to say that people with 'special needs', Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, autism, GDD, Mental Illness etc are far too stigmatised. We're far more at risk of being the victims of violence rather than perpetrators. We need better support to help people survive, not blame or eradication.

[@EveHyland-in8jb9ti9y]

It can have a tragic effect on the cerabral cortex development. This should be taken into account.

[@Tracy-hm3yi]

We need better services for early intervention

[@skaania]

and that seems to be the case in this situation - the defence is trying - and rightly so - to show tha lack of support for him which resulted in a tragedy

[@floridagirl9064]

you are absolutely far more @ risk to commit such things.

[@mel_zzz_]

Autism is an spectrum after all and y"all are human beings as well. I agree in the part of stigmatization isn't helpful but that doesn't mean a person with "special needs" is more far from being the victim than committing a crime. It should be equal...doesn't matter nationality, sex, economic status, etc...anyone could be capable of being a sweet and good person or a total monster. I suffer of a mental illness. There are a few misconceptions about depression because in general people think everything applies to everyone, that's not the case but I as well accept I'm an individual...if a person with depression kills a group of people and later commits suicide that doesn't means I could be capable of doing that as well. That means in the case of this person in specific...mental illness had a low or high impact for committing this crime. It's important acknowledge that we are more than our diagnosis and this diagnosis doesn't affect our values as human beings. There are more things in our development that affects our way of thinking and why we do certain things. Pleading insanity is for special cases...it's not only being a "victim of your circumstances" but mainly being or not being capable of understanding what you are doing, understanding the effects of your actions. There is people that really can't explain this without sounding like a total weirdo. That's insanity. Not what the defense is doing putting Nikolas as a victim of his circumstances.

[@chelseamunroe]

I had a student with fetal alcohol and his ears are huge just like Nikolas. He has severe behavior and learning disabilities as well. It’s so sad that none of that is their fault at all, it’s the mothers.

[@Amy-dw7ii]

It’s the old nature vs nurture argument. Thousands of sociopaths had perfect upbringings and thousands of abused children do not go on to commit murder. This was his doing.

[@alexislatona4532]

I know a kid with big ears, and he is nothing like this kid at all so that’s some bs

[@user-zk8ed4kd2b]

Finally, a response addressing fetal alcohol syndrome. Thank you.

[@chelseamunroe]

@@alexislatona4532 big ears have nothing to do with it I’m saying it’s clear Nikolas does suffer fetal alcohol syndrome because big ears are a tell tale feature and symptom of a mom DRINKING while pregnant like a damn barbarian.

[@olgakipke3720]

You're right. FAS is not a joke.

[@sallyfrost5002]

As an individual diagnosed with autism I am quite concerned at how quick people are with each school shooting to associate the shooters with autism regardless of whether they have been diagnosed or not. Also the autism spectrum is grossly misunderstood. Tony Attwood who is perhaps one of the greatest autism expert on the planet did a study to see if autism exists alone or always involves comorbidity and he found that there always seems to be comorbidity. While all of those he studied had autism their secondary diagnosis could vary tremendously. So a child with autism will have one of the following diagnosis: ADD, ADHD, OCD, DYSLEXIA, PDDNOS, and or MANIC DEPRESSION DISORDER. The vast majority of children on the spectrum are left handed or ambidextrous. The point being is that we are all very different depending on what autism spectrum mixture we inherit. Those with OCD, Dyslexia, and PDDNOS tend to be very passafistic and tend to be deeply impacted by sensory processing disorder and language delays. Those impacted by MANIC DEPRESSIVE DISORDER , ADHD, and ADD tend to have more impulse control problems that could potentially lead to violence. They tend to have less predisposition to sensory processing disorder and those with ADHD and ADD tend to have less problems with language. I have autism with dyslexia and my life has been he'll on earth and I haven't harmed those around my except for having a very harsh and sharp tongue. My biological father on the other hand had autism mixed with MANIC DEPRESSIVE DISORDER and he was very spoiled by his parents and lived a life defined by wealth and overall ease. He is violent delusional and out of control. I beg anyone reading this post to learn about autism but more importantly recognize that autism equals comorbidity. Autism isn't just a solitary diagnosis; it always involves other neurological diagnosis. Until this is recognized society will continue to fail children with autism.

[@Centerstagerayray84]

Both my children are diagnosed with autism and early intervention is key in all aspects. I feel bad because he clearly fell through the cracks. But his diagnosis of autism is not to blame. I feel you with the frustrations over all of this. Thank you for sharing this important information so many people miss and don't try to understand.

[@Ninaagabi]

Amazingly said.

[@Singlerose55]

Very well said and educational! I've been learning more about ADHD and other mental "disorders". Im going to get my child and I tested for ADHD. There is such a stigma against anything that isnt "normal". People aren't getting the help or respect they deserve. I have always been intrigued with people who have Autism. I know a few people who have it who wouldn't hurt a fly. They see the world so different and when they find what they are compassionate about they give it their all! So many people with autism do such amazing and beautiful things for our world

[@koolaid1699]

Weird question but would you advise not marrying an autist? There is a man I know who I’m considering marrying but he hardly shows affection and be be short tempered. He also has controlled depression. You could say he was always an outcast. But I don’t know if his issues are too big and if I’d be signing myself up for trouble. I also worry something would be passed on to kids.

[@Ninaagabi]

@@koolaid1699That is absolutely ridiculous. You obviously don’t know him enough if your asking that. I have adhd and autism and we DO show emotion just not the in way “normal” people do. If you are considering marrying him try educating yourself instead of outcasting him just like everyone else.

[@simonacland9028]

She's so adorable, I know this is a very serious case but she seems to be such a loving person I just want to hug her

[@dna_hapiness]

Me too!🤗✨

[@lisaazzano1811]

Having a child myself with autism and later in life developing psychotic episodes needing hospitalizations and life long medications I can clearly see Nickolas acting with the same behaviors as my son. The difference is my son had gotten an IEP in kindergarten, gone to a special education school, therapy and medications to help him and Nickolas did not. Parents are too much in denial to mental illness in their children and this is the classic outcome as they head into adulthood with no support and help

[@marocat4749]

Selharm is way way way mor liklythe outcome but yeah he was failed by the system and thats what should e learned (if in near all cases you get selfharm but thats, also a problem i think.) Yep, not that i would disagre wioth howevr long sentence, but can we not talk aout sentencing anyone, especially peopl ailed by the system. Besaides i think having to live with that will be way tougher when he realizes what he did. Can we jut not death sentence, period.

[@resilientangel5915]

My sister was in denial. 2 if her children struggle now, as adults. It breaks my heart.

[@sapodilla25]

A lot of people have not received the help they needed and not everyone became a mass murderer. I have a friend who was struggling at school and he's in the army, giving his other skills a direction rather than focusing on the ones he doesn't have.

[@Tracy-hm3yi]

Nobody and I mean nobody thinks that he is innocent. What he is is a great example of red flags all the way from daycare to now. Learn from him! Study him. SO WE CAN STOP THE NEXT ONE!!

[@Ash_426]

This is why we now have the "red flags laws" in Florida. People are trying to learn from it. But regardless, this kid was evil.

[@originalparafan]

I agree!

[@GrandDawggy]

I assumed this trial is for sentencing not to determine if he's guilty or not, am I incorrect?

[@anhingasnakebird9947]

This trial isn’t to determine guilt. He plead guilty. This is a penalty trial to decide whether he gets death or life in prison.

[@DoncasterLass]

this is not about innocence or guilt, as he has pleaded guilty. this is about whether he spends the rest of his life in prison, or if he faces the death penalty.

[@Tionaintown876]

I feel so badly for him as I know how childhood abuse affects you forever. My mother was very abusive and I also developed social issues like social anxiety and it’s very hard to make and keep friends or understand what love is. Innocent children should be protected

[@Tionaintown876]

@Mimi Simpjoy Right but nobody wants to believe that they are. Also nobody wants to involve themselves with anyone else’s kids because we push a narrative that the mother knows best or the parents know best. It takes a village to raise a child so we need to look out for each other

[@caterinascarcella]

He was already 2 under the care of his adoptive parents. How was it possible that almost 16 years later he’d progress to mass shootings? In other words were there not any signs of aggression growing up through childhood and beyond into teens?

[@Goldenretriever-k8m]

@Mimi Simpjoy there is a lot of genetics involved too though. psychopathy runs in families. there were career criminals in his family, people he had never met. and he wasnt even raised by his birth mother but a loving mother.

[@Karina_Engr]

Can I just say I appreciate this lady for saying about the mother that, she did the best she could with the resources she had. Also, she mentioned she remembers many students, not just N.C.

[@tourdedogue4952]

Yes, I felt the same way. I would have loved this woman in my children's lives. (and I don't have kids)

[@awolf9024]

Are you talking about the biological mother, or the adoptive mother?

[@jewelzb1402]

@@awolf9024 Seems to be common sense the comment was referencing the adoptive mother. if you watch the entire video and listen, she ( the teacher) plainly speaks to having dialogue with “Linda” about Nicholas’ behavior etc..and Linda is the adoptive mother. Also Nicholas was adopted when he was just an infant, thus the biological mother wouldn’t be involved after adoption and certainly not when he was 2-3 years old in pre-school.

[@Swaddle_Brow83]

You can tell she really cares for the kids

[@mrsphilpickles]

I love that they have this witness in the trial, and even the lady yesterday that was def a bit outspoken on her lifestyle. But this gives more of a perspective on how Nicholas developed into where he is today. This dosnt mean every child that shows these early signs have potential to be dangerous but it does show that attacking any learning issues or develop issues could possibly save a child from growing into the person Nicholas became, or being able to notice someone that will become dangerous and providing proper care and security for them and people around them. People need to stop waiting for the extremes to happen and start attending the issues as they develop

[@yoboo8357]

Whaaaaaaaaaat? wtf are you talking about "attacking any learning issues could possibly save a child from growing into nicholas cruz" do you think education determines your mental state in regards to being a violent killer? 🤣😂

[@mrsphilpickles]

@@yoboo8357 no I’m saying that if they would have looked into his development issues further they could have monitored him more and possibly given him the proper help and care he needed so 1 he didn’t turn into this insane person or 2 they would realize what a danger he is to be on his own and cared for him properly so this incident would have never happened.

[@thisisme3238]

The only problem in helping Nikolas would have been the parents could not see the problems, because they themselves had problems...a person is a product of their own environment.

[@yoboo8357]

@@mrsphilpickles behavior issues are not learning issues

[@Anthony-nv7gd]

Ok great. What does any of this have to do with the decision of whether he should be executed or spend the rest of his life in prison? Who cares that he committed premeditated murder of children. Let’s turn the sentencing hearing into a case study for how to save the next child from turning into a mass killer. Such a joke.

[@Ninaagabi]

That def sounds like front lobe damage. She absolutely did everything she could.

[@savannah5333]

I worked in early childhood education and what she is describing is definitely usually behaviors I’ve witnessed from children born to parents of addiction. And usually these children get singled out if you don’t catch it early, because it comes off as bullying. People need to remember a lot of times to keep these places running staff isn’t required to have a degree so that they can pay them minimum wage.

[@lisahunt3215]

Good point. I was honestly shocked this lady only had an associates degree.

[@lacyrivers4338]

AMEN!! You know your stuff.

[@sroy9789]

Just curious. will you be able to remember such fine details about the behaviour of a child you educated, 17 years after the fact?

[@savannah5333]

@@sroy9789 no, that’s what I find so crazy. Not always. In random you might remember a students name or something they did. But when you work with so many it becomes tough to remember final details. I worked with young children that were expelled. I can’t even say I remember the name of some young children who have punched or gotten physical. That’s why I’m so surprised they are going back so far.

[@sroy9789]

@@savannah5333 Thankyou for sharing that's what I thought. I am surprised that they are allowing this in a court of law.

[@elishiamariewilson8289]

His bio mother adopted him out because she wanted a better life for him, Yet ruined him before he was born. 😭

[@evry1sacritic333]

I don’t think it was so much she wanted a better life for him as much as she didn’t want him

[@elishiamariewilson8289]

@@evry1sacritic333 I heard that, Then I also heard she wanted a better life for him. Maybe, I heard it wrong because I can't imagine a SOB birth person do that to their unborn child

[@theresalally1620]

She did it for the money.She unfortunately didn’t care about any of her children.Just my opinion.

[@RK-jm2zl]

@@theresalally1620 her daughter, who didn't care for Brenda one bit, even said she did it for to give him some chance at a life.

[@elishiamariewilson8289]

@@theresalally1620 I totally agree. She wanted that money, Nothing else.

[@beckswin]

It’s not the diagnosis itself. It’s the not getting help - not being understood - not understanding himself - that began a world and life for him that, if he’d gotten the correct professional assistance, didn’t have to be that way. Let’s say he had a physical disability. But nobody thought to check him for it, get him pain relief, etc. So it went unnoticed by most everyone. And while going through that alone, he was expected to “act” like everybody else. Many many many children are experiencing this same thing. And our system doesn’t work.

[@nepetunia444]

thank you for saying this! i see so many ppl blaming autism and its making me so upset and angry. people have so much ignorance about autism and it’s already stigmatized, i’m afraid this will further it…

[@marocat4749]

@@nepetunia444 Yeah its that, with the apearent bad influence, yes he shoul hav nbeen diagnosed, through yeah its near always selfharm with untreated stuf so, no autists arent likely in any way to do that, its just a factor that, we really generally indepenmdent o the schooting shopuld care more (while really jut helping socializing, not infantizing)

[@madeline4551]

This case just destroys me. This is just the perfect example of how bad things can turn if people go undiagnosed and don’t receive the help they need. Wheather it be autism, mental health, or any other condition. I’m a behavior therapist and it absolutely breaks my heart that this all could of possibly been prevented if he would of got the help he desperately needed. The signs are so clear that he’s on the spectrum, and things could of turned out so different if he got help. Not saying anything he did was excuseable but it’s just so heartbreaking. All parents need to be aware of the signs of autism, Asperger‘s, etc..

[@dewilew2137]

What help he needed? He got all the care money could buy. It was his sister who didn’t.

[@christopher399]

@@dewilew2137 Do you honestly think money solves all problems?

[@Anthony-nv7gd]

@@dewilew2137 Get with the program. This is America. Blaming others instead of blaming the actor is what we do best. It is literally ALWAYS someone else’s fault. Someone should files charges against this geriatric teacher for allowing this to happen.

[@justthatgirl-ct4jo]

@@Anthony-nv7gd You are all over these comments just being weird. You're either a troll or legitimately just not very bright.

[@serenityb5816]

@@christopher399 she didn’t say money bought him happiness. He had plenty of money to be able to afford the help he needed.

[@frankgonzalezofficial3010]

Props to the teacher. She is very educated and you can tell she loves children.

[@albalincoln7718]

Especially when she laughs about Niholas body proportions Dude)) she has issues

[@CopperPriestess]

@@albalincoln7718 it was a nervous laugh

[@sajh881]

@@albalincoln7718 chill alba

[@HopefulInterventions]

I’m sorry, but I’m have no empathy for Nicolas Cruz. He knew what he was doing. Also, His adoptive parents were loving from a Middle class background. I work with individuals who have similar intellectual disabilities and most of them don’t become mass murderers.

[@HiNRGboy]

yeah, he's just an evil sob that needs either life or death penalty...probably the latter...I think some people just need to be taken out...

[@JN-wr9he]

sadly it is not enough to have loving middle-class parents in such cases, these kids need much more specialized and consistent support over years to come through and connect with others as functioning members of society. he did not get that and had no chance to make it on his own

[@Laffy_Taphy50818]

So much of this sounds like my baby other than the fact that my son is super happy and loves interaction with adults, and has great eye contact. But the stimming, not playing with other kids, language delay, etc, is so him. He is diagnosed autistic and thankfully we have much better early intervention these days and I couldn’t be more proud of him.

[@mawmawmakeup3602]

I agree with your comment. It sounds like nicholas was autistic and not diagnosed and given early intervention... it was more so looked at as just a misbehaving child back then instead of realizing it's an actual neurological issue. My daughter is turning 4 in november.and she is diagnosed as autistic We have been working with a physio therapist ; an occupational therapist and a speech therapist since she was 2 and a half. They say they cant diagnose autism til 2 and a half but my daughter started showing signs at 6 months old. Early diagnosis and early intervention is key. My daughter isnt aggressive but she definitely has social issues with participating with children. Etc. She does stimming.. she has issues with coloring and eating with utensils etc etc..

[@Laffy_Taphy50818]

@@mawmawmakeup3602 I really appreciate your taking the time to reply :) don’t get me wrong I DO NOT think that it was the autism that caused Nik to do such a heinous thing, but it’s really easy to say “everyone should know right from wrong” and it’s not always that black and white. Autism might not have caused the incident but treatment could have def prevented it :( good luck with your baby girl 💜

[@tplayne85]

My son is also autistic and 2 years old. He just began his early intervention therapies. Do you think Nik Cruz was autistic or was delayed and had behavioral issues due to his mother being on drugs and alcohol during pregnancy? That’s what I’m leaning more towards.

[@HopefulInterventions]

I work with kids, teens and adults with autism and related disabilities. I agree ☝️. However, Nicolas Cruz had a loving mother and other kids had it much worse. Nicolas’s knew what he was doing. It was strategically planned out.

[@agirlisnoone5953]

@@HopefulInterventions ... Nik had a loving mother who was too prideful to get him the proper care and treatment because she didn't want to admit there was something "wrong" with him.

[@heatherstonebrook9787]

Look at the terrible life his sister has lived, it makes me mad and sad.

[@ButterfliesAreNinjas]

I understand that a lot of his issues probably stem from his mothers drug and alcohol abuse in the womb but children can be born psychotic and psychopaths to even the best parents that don’t do these things. I have friends that have a now 7-year-old who is a psychopath/sociopath. They have two other children that are completely normal and they started noticing their 3 yr old son starting at the age of 1 1/2 having psychopath tendencies to harm his younger sister and his older brother and the family pets. It’s only gotten worse as he’s gotten older and these people have the money and resources and they’ve taken him everywhere and sadly there’s no treatment for a psychopath because you can’t teach them empathy or cure their condition all you can do is therapy and medicate them until they’re 18 and hope for the best. It’s gotten so bad that if they want to go anywhere they have to hire two babysitters one for him and one for the other two. The one for him has to be a specialized babysitter that deals with children with psychopathic tendencies. He’s not even allowed in school anymore or around other kids/animals because he almost stabbed the teacher and a classmate in kindergarten! She tried hiring a homeschool teacher but he put a knife to the homeschool teachers neck so so the mother had to quit her job to do the homeschooling herself. So what do you do when you know you are actually raising a psychopath/sociopath that is going to be unleashed onto the world at age 18(unless they can keep him under their guardianship longer)and potentially hurt people and there’s nothing you can do about it? I know these people and they’ve done everything in their power to help this child but he’s only getting worse as he’s getting older. It’s so bad that no psych facilities will even take him anymore. I’m just putting this out there because it’s not always the fault of the parents that kids turn out like this some are just born bad. I understand that this shooters early life wasn’t good but in my opinion he had the forethought to plan this out with such precision that he altered that gun to be able to use dual ammo and add a scope and stripe and even I can’t do that and I am very well-versed in guns and I don’t have any mental issues. He then got a vest, and pasted the psych evaluation to get that rifle and all those extra clips without a red flag being waved at anyone. He wasn’t even flagged in the system because he knew he couldn’t buy a handgun so that shows he knew what he could and couldn’t buy legally. He also started documenting this on social media which shows premeditation. He also won a sharpshooter badge which is not an easy feat. Stop using mental illness as an excuse for these types of behaviors he’s not mentally insane he knew exactly what he was doing! If you listen to all the testimony he went back to the people he shot and Richard them to make sure they were dead. He didn’t just go on some blind rage shooting rampage he methodically thought and plan this out by hiding in the stairwell and triggering the fire alarm knowing that that would be the escape route everyone would take. Then once he had everyone cornered in the rooms, he shot into the classrooms windows and people that he wounded in the hallways he came back and made sure that they were dead! I’m sorry but I have no empathy for this kid! There are people that grew up in way worse situation than him and didn’t do anything like this! His foster mom actually did seek treatment for him 2008-2011 with the one psychiatrist and changed in 2012 to another psychiatrist due to insurance! No excuses he chose to do this over a girl rejecting him that’s what it’s all about so for all of you in the comments start and watch at the beginning of the trial. He was never diagnosed with autism. I don’t know where everybody’s getting that from! If you watched his psychiatrist testify he was never on meds for autism it was ADHD all the way up to 2011! Not once did she mention anything about autism. Plus he was jealous of his brother. He destroyed 34+ lives that day those were just the people that were killed and injured not the collateral damage of everyone else involved

[@evry1sacritic333]

Nothing that a good butt kicking wouldn’t cure

[@lindsayb1329]

I think this is the best comment I have read so far! And it so completely heartbreaking when there is really no hope for these children. You cannot teach empathy to these individuals 💔

[@MimiMyers]

🎯💯‼️

[@bobohobo7652]

Psychopathy cant be diagnosed before u r an adult. It would be unethical, noone does it and its basically not possible from a scientific point of view. Do your research before you embarass yourself with such obvious lies. Its literally one google search.

[@JN-wr9he]

i don't buy into your narrative either. you clearly don't understand the difference between mental health and cognitive health. the psychologist said his intelligence in the traditional sense was fine. his emotional and social intelligence was not based on all the evidence. his brain was also altered physiologically in-uterus I suspect but I don't know if there have been any scans etc. in short, what he did does not undermine the fact that he has mental disabilities.

[@alishaharper5860]

I wish the school my child attended had such a dedicated teacher or observer.

[@debramartinez1791]

As a preschool teacher, keep a journal about a child in your classroom with behavior issues. It's vital to make time to speak with the parent about the child's conduct. Most of the behavior isn't normal and will worsen throughout the years. I had one child who couldn't stay on task, and he turned five t. After informing his mother about his behavior, she seeks help for him, and he is doing so much better in elementary school today

[@Alicia-ig7cv]

Great idea!

[@caitlinquinn79]

That sounds like a good thing to do. It might fall apart when they don't have parents who are able to/want to find support. Better than not doing it though!

[@flowersandcandyflowersandc9093]

I disagree.

[@Flylikeaneagle1000]

Maybe people can learn from this and do something about it in the right way.?

[@johnluckey4330]

Explaining violent criminal behavior is one thing. Excusing it is completely different.

[@Centerstagerayray84]

The defense is doing their job to stop him from getting death. This is a cautionary story of why early intervention is important. This does not excuse what he did. He knew it was wrong.

[@wheelchairgeek]

True. But no one is excusing it.

[@johnluckey4330]

@@wheelchairgeek Ahem, Cruz's defense "dream team" has successfully excused it.

[@Cheersthewinners]

@@wheelchairgeek exactly. Im like who is excusing his behavior. Ppl want to sound deep so bad.

[@ImJustFunSize]

I’ve unfortunately seen this too many times where all the signs are there but the parents refuse to believe something is wrong. Parents need to realize this isn’t a personal attack on them as a parent and be receptive to extra help being offered for their child.

[@liandajane3207]

A lot of the time the "help" makes things worse though honestly. It's hard to trust and get genuine help for behaviours in children.

[@ImJustFunSize]

@@liandajane3207 The help makes things worse? How so?

[@cherrypop4675]

@@ImJustFunSize look up why ABA (applied behavioral analysis) is a controversial therapy/intervention

[@nooraqueen2716]

Yes, he was a victim of bullying. What he did was horrible, regardless, but I feel sorry for him because he had complained about bullying, and nobody tried to help him in that regard. Also, he had a pretty horrible life in general. He was born to a heroin drug addict mother that gave him away his adoptive father died before he really got a chance to know him, his adoptive mother died a year before the shooting and his brother got forced into a mental hospital, so basically he had not family he could turn to when things got tough. His girlfriend dumped him for another guy, he got bullied (and beaten up) a lot, he got kicked out of school, and finally after his mother died he basically didn’t have a home anymore. He had to move in with a bunch of friends/relatives before he got kicked out of each of them one by one. So, in summary, he had practically no family (everyone he was related to was either deceased, incarcerated, or institutionalized), no friends, few romantic prospects, no home, and pretty much nothing else. There were reports that when his mother died, pretty much nobody even came to the funeral except him, his brother and a couple others. He had horrible life leading up to the shooting, and because of the shooting, he has pretty much guaranteed himself a horrible future as well. If he gets sentenced to life in prison, then he’ll have to spend the rest of his life in bars.

[@louern123]

i can’t imagine the emotions that the parents of the victims must feel as they listen to this 💔.

[@BrandyH-eh9up]

Exactly.

[@PraveenSrJ01]

I definitely hear 👂 you

[@thebeluvdtrex]

I just think its wild that this lady has probably taught hundreds of kids after him and she still remembers him.

[@kenandkathryn]

I was an educator and I've been retired for almost 10 yrs. There were students that still stand out in my memory and heart. I've seen former students in our local news lock up photos and some which in my heart I expected. Some children you never forget.

[@daniellehinson5581]

I’ve been teaching since 2013 and can remember almost all my students names. Teachers that love their job especially don’t forget the ones that needed the extra love.

[@COEXIST-ny4db]

ABSOLUTELY no excuses for his behavior. But this child didn't have a fighting chance from the womb on out.

[@nydiagarag1865]

The system fail to provide Nikolas Cruz with the proper treatment and also gave the go for him to purchase a RIFFLE R15. He's guilty but also the system is guilty too. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

[@shawnr590]

What’s a riffle r15?

[@mandychadwick8762]

@@shawnr590 His weapon of choice that he used to shoot his victims

[@Lilly-hh9es]

It is , they should put him in some special care from day 1 not putting him with poor normal children!

[@Lilly-hh9es]

He got all the help he needed, stop blaming the system when his mother is first one to blame when she took those drugs

[@colleencanas632]

As a premature baby born to 16 & 17 y.o. bio parents, I was adopted as soon as I was released from the NICU. I had small health issues, ear tubes, was slightly delayed with milestones as most premies are. My PARENTS, the ones who adopted and raised me gave me an amazing life and told me I could be anything I wanted to be. I am now a 49 year old Mom & speech and language pathologist (which requires an advanced degree). It just makes me angry that the fact a child is adopted in some peoples minds makes these children less than from the get go.

[@dawnandy7777]

Ignore them. If you must respond to them remind them that Steve Jobs and Dave Thomas (founder of Wendy's} were both adopted and raised by loving parents.

[@jak9483]

What an amazing teacher. She describes her pupil as if it were yesterday, that's number one. She shouldn't assume any responsibility for his negativity because she is such an outstanding caring person. I wish all the teachers were like her. God bless you Ma'am.

[@andrewcutler1380]

Anyone notice Cruz is looking up, paying attention and not doodling on his pad? Always interested when the main subject is HIM, and not his victims.

[@mritzs5142]

Defense is on her game today, not as emotional Questions well paced, I think this witness has a large knowledge base and an excellent memory. Even though I would never feel he Nickolas had the right to live after.., however having a both a strong prosecution good defense allows me to learn, no matter what my feelings and beliefs are.

[@clintkile3470]

Crazy how breaks down some walls put up and allows us to take a look inside .

[@HopefulInterventions]

Right! But Nicolas knew what he was doing. His autism is no excuse. His adoptive mother was very loving. He strategically planned out the murder.

[@klfighter]

The 17 innocent victims also had beautiful photos from their childhoods. I find it hard to see the defense presenting, making up a killer who massacred innocent people with unbearable violence.

[@michellesouthflorida9682]

they don't really have any other choice. They are stuck defending him because the prosecutors rejected their plea of guilty with life. None of this would be happening if the prosecutores accepted that plea. He would already be in a prison (instead of county jail). He wouldn't have seen any evidence. He wouldn't be in a courtroom. Because this happens to be a death penalty state, the prosecution wanted to try for death.

[@inadz.1111]

I'd say the point of the pictures was to show the woman did remember him not humanize him

[@JN-wr9he]

he is a victim of sorts as well, just of different circumstances. doesn't take away from the fact that he is a murderer

[@marilyn3605]

You know what’s really scary,, my daughter is a behavioral analyst for school district and the cases are rising, between homelessness, drug addiction domestic abuse, we are in big trouble in this country so SAD 😞

[@mombear5116]

@Marilyn I suspect children who were 2-5 years old since the masking crap began in July 2020 will be irreparably damaged, and misdiagnosed with Oppositional Defiance Disorder as they act out because their communication skills are stunted.

[@milaj927]

Or maybe we’re becoming more aware

[@princessriley3335]

So the way to combat that is to force women to have children they don’t want I guess.

[@katethegreat2222]

@@princessriley3335 they can give them up for adoption rather than killing them.

[@princessriley3335]

@@katethegreat2222 forcing women into adoption will never work. A woman who wants to avoid the emotional attachment of having the child in the first place is not going to be forced into carrying a child for someone else. Just give people rights to decide for their bodies and you’ll have less of this insanity.

[@candilease938]

Seems like Linda did the very best she could. I can’t imagine the heartache she felt

[@YdnickniL]

I feel bad for everyone involved, those killed, parents, the people testifying and Nik too. What a horribly rough start he had in life. Doesn't condone what he did but sad still. How many other kids have these issues?

[@UltimateEnd0]

This woman is an angel you know...feel so bad for her getting called up there to get questioned on Cruz.

[@khunter8757]

So it seems like the mom parented out of guilt. She felt bad for him so she rarely disciplined him. Obviously he would have had issues no matter what but his mother definitely didn't make it easier.

[@sloangray2626]

he killed 17 people for no reason. this is a waste of time and I am sure the grieving parents want to scream.

[@justthatgirl-ct4jo]

It's called mitigation and it's relevant.

[@pattywhack69]

I think there is some catharsis and a tiny bit of “closure” for the parents to state their feelings in front of the killer. Closure isn’t the right word, but I think they should have the opportunity to speak to the killer of their children.

[@michellenainkristinabusch1221]

As well as wounded 17 others and gave mental torment to many others

[@alkintugsal7563]

They need to establish what went wrong so they can prevent this happening again in the future can you not see although there is no excuse for his crime he needs a fair trial like any citizen lessons needs to be learned he was also let down by the system they need to point out these mistakes so early prevention can take place.

[@rossimarti]

Good witness = great memory, but Nikolas still knows he is guilty, what he did, how he planned to mass murder, and his intentions to cause death and destruction.

[@theVoid524]

I had delayed fine motor skills and speech problems when I was very young. Seeing this is making me even more thankful my mom got me straight into therapy. That probably saved my life.

[@Mimi-tu6js]

Did your mom drink alcohol? Smoke cigarettes, use drugs?

[@PraveenSrJ01]

Very happy for you. How old are you now in November 2022?

[@theVoid524]

@@PraveenSrJ01 31

[@PraveenSrJ01]

@@theVoid524 my younger brother is 30 and he has cerebral palsy and migraines

[@khunter8757]

I don't understand why the adopted mother didn't tell NC's background. I adopted my niece that was born addicted to meth and I made sure to let daycare/schools right away so that they would be able to help her the most. Sounds like she was definitely in denial at that time.

[@sarabrown7488]

She said she did after awhile. Maybe she thought if he found out that it would hurt him and mess him up more. When kids find out that the person they called mom isn’t their mom. Sends them in a downward spiral. Sometimes they don’t have a sense of belonging. This could’ve helped with some of his behavior

[@inadz.1111]

This shows even more problems in the school system in the schools in USA. Sounds like educators are left to do "their best" and hope these additional centers will help.

[@syncopowerstations]

I hear you when you say the following: "As the mom of a child who has been diagnosed atypical neurologically and who has struggled her whole life with social interaction, I cannot listen to this testimony without feeling so sad for the little boy who he was. I’m not saying it should change the penalty," And neither would I change the penalty. He had no right, no matter what his hardships were to do that. I speak this knowing more than I've ever told or ever will tell about people suffering.

[@PraveenSrJ01]

I also suffer severely with social interactions and have the social skills of a 2nd grader as a 39 year old adult 👨 male but I’m quite independent and can drive.

[@robbiemoss2587]

😂

[@KA-md6je]

How does this lady even remember some random kid after all these years?

[@mrsphilpickles]

When your someone in education or any type of child care and you truly love and care for your job as someone that is part of childrens development you remember a lot. They care deeply for every student that comes across their path and the fact that Nicholas showed a lot of development issues it does not surprise me she remembers that much about him. I’m sure after she was no longer around Nicholas she wondered about him from time to time about how he was doing. I’m sure she was heart broken to see that he did this terrible act, and she even hinted at the fact that she feels like she could have done more and I’m sure she feels some guilt for not pushing more help for him to possibly prevent this from happening.

[@richardlawson6787]

Listen...I bumped into a math teacher that taught me 40 years ago...she remembered lots of things I said and did and when I mentioned other students from my class she remembered them to .in fact even reminding me of some students in my class....so yes teachers never forget you!!!

[@joettaharris4230]

@@richardlawson6787 , good teachers never forget you.

[@Lula22-h2q]

Did you say random? That is why? He was not random at all!

[@KA-md6je]

@@richardlawson6787 I have to believe that's pretty unusual. I don't think any of my teachers would remember me.

[@jasminejohnstone1803]

As a little girl I was in foster care I was abused. My adopted mum new saved me. Iv suffered alot of trauma I was so full of rage and depression and agitated I nearly went to jail because I punched someone. It was so scary my adopted parents got me lots of support over the years and I'm a changed person I have bpd and ptsd and bi polor I'm on alot of medication I live alone with my dog I have a long term bf I'm doing fab but I'm not working at the moment I'm in life time therapy therapy saved me from myself and jail I'm an amazing person we all makes mistakes our child hood has a huge part to play in the role when we turn in to an adult He was obviously very sick as a little boy he didn't stand a chance very sad it's heartbreaking but I had the chance I got lucky some don't

[@reginafallangie2867]

It’s not fair that so many women like Linda, who long to have children and would give them so much love, can’t have children of their own. But someone like NC birth mother, who should never b a mom, can have them & couldn’t care less about them.

[@malcriadamedina5358]

Worse of all, the children of these moms tend to act out violently so the problem continues to propagate itself. Generally trauma is the worse

[@Lilly-hh9es]

THIS!!!!! l often sit and watch interactions between mothers and kids, there are so many who act so cold towards them. My friends mother always was a weirdo to me, l observed my mother, who cared for us, encouraged us,... Then , there was her who mocked and ridiculed him every chance she gets. "Joking " not !!!!! Everything always comes from the MOTHER.

[@beckswin]

And now there will be even more unwanted babies.

[@RK-jm2zl]

@@Lilly-hh9es I think when it's a boy and a single mum, if the boy takes after the dad the mum can end up spiting the boy due to hate/anger towards the dad. This is only gonna get worse lol, mums like nikolas cruz's are getting more common

[@Khloe_dancer_model]

@@Lilly-hh9esmy mom would make fun of me in public too.I think it was mistakes she made in life that she couldn’t face so I was her punching bag.

[@justthatgirl-ct4jo]

She's a good defense attorney. I like her. Some of these attorneys and prosecutors make you wonder how in the world did they ever pass the bar.

[@veronniep]

She's a bit harsh in how she interrupts her witness and sounds frustrated with her at times. She seems to have a good grasp of the law and the evidence, but when people speak to juries about what impacts their decisions the most, it's frequently less about a lawyer's competency and more about how empathetic the lawyer appears to be. I've seen attorneys who are amazing at the law and yet they lose a lot of juries because they come off as too rigid.

[@dcc-randomstorieswithmel7424]

@@veronniep must you find something to complain about?

[@veronniep]

@@dcc-randomstorieswithmel7424 it's not really a complaint, just an observation based on how juries work and something for people who are interested in watching these legal cases to think about. There's a lot of different opinions on what makes someone a "good attorney" but when you ask jurors what was the most persuasive, these are the things they notice.

[@theresalally1620]

I like her too

[@fondawilliam8371]

THEY BOTH SUCK. IF I EVER END UP IN COURT AGAIN I REALLY AM GOING TO DEFEND MYSELF IN COURT EXHIBITS AND ALL. THEY JUST WANT A PAYCHECK

[@sadem1045]

I wonder if Ms. Fischer ever imagined having to testify about a student at a trial like this.

[@blessall8856]

Based on what we heard from the various early childhood teachers, this boy had maaany serious issues and these teachers did an AMAZING job👏👏🙌 just getting him to talk, walk, grasp, interact, etc.

[@sorrelthomas1896]

The teachers drastically failed

[@cobwebkid]

@@sorrelthomas1896 they did not. They did sooooo much. Teachers are not miracle workers… 🤦🏼‍♂️

[@sorrelthomas1896]

No they are not miracle workers. No one is. BUT. But no one was sticking to notes written up/recommended. He was then moved to that very populated school which was not a good move. Not enough support.

[@cobwebkid]

@@sorrelthomas1896 not the teachers’ fault. Just saying.

[@sorrelthomas1896]

What's the point of reports etc being done if nothing comes of it or the child is just in visible

[@adamenstrom]

Poor lady. She seems like such a sweetheart. I bet she feels guilt.

[@candysweet434]

why on earth would she feel guilt? she was just his teacher. she didn't do anything to cause him to murder people.

[@selfesteem3447]

@@candysweet434 agreed

[@irish_meado2436]

Lovely woman 👍❤️ We need more like her in schools all over 💯

[@Jose-gk6pc]

Whether people want to hear it or not, this boy was failed multiple times from multiple agencies across his entire life and has led to this tragedy...is every person who failed him, bullied him and stigmatised him being held to account for what in effect, they are culpable also. Lessons MUST be learned from this and learned hard!

[@PreppyPrincess777]

AGREED

[@katethegreat2222]

That’s just simply not true

[@wheelchairgeek]

Correct. This is a community led crime. Crime of an entire community. Doesn't mitigate his crime but we can definitely learn from it.

[@jennymars4097]

It’s all just so sad.. as a former preschool teacher this is all very common behavior in that particular age group.

[@wheelchairgeek]

Do you mean it's normal?

[@Anthony-nv7gd]

Can someone explain to me why this dudes pre-school teacher is testifying? This is the most bizarre trial I’ve ever witnessed. God knows, it’s CRITICAL for the jury to have this perspective. A 70 year old’s recollection of a student she taught 15+ years ago. Not to mention the 30 minute spent qualifying her as a credible witness. I swear these attorneys just love hearing themselves talk. This guy committed premeditated murder of ~18 children. There are video recordings of him talking about how he was going to do it and how excited he was to do it. There are people on death row that never killed a child. If this person doesn’t deserve to be executed for his crimes, we may as well abolish the death penalty.

[@MV-qm5ru]

They are desperate trying to find some justification- how is she credible when she wasn’t even his direct teacher and probably was called into the room after the behavior happened. Waste of time have to agree with you on this .

[@Laura-kl7vi]

It's not the trial! He's already been found guilty. They are sentencing him and the defense is trying to get him imprisoned for life w/o parole rather than the death penalty. So they are showing anything that may go to how he was messed up even at age 1, his brain was messed up (he had global delays at age 3, so yes it was).

[@michellesouthflorida9682]

I noticed NC sitting straight up really listening to his sister speaking. I don't think he ever knew about her life with his biological mom. It was the most emotion I have ever seen him have honestly.

[@patriciaaznavourian3014]

She said they followed High Scope Curriculum. I'm very familiar w that curriculum, it is excellent! It focuses on social emotional development which is really key in the early years!!

[@madmax6470]

Why is this even on trial. Dude is f-Ed up we get it. So are many others but they don’t go off and mass shoot of people later in life. Just sentence him already

[@brandonayala4605]

So you don’t believe in a fair trial?

[@leilazoric664]

they're trying to decide if he deserves a life sentence or the death penalty... thats the whole point

[@ddigiorgio8438]

I think this is revealing to many people the challenges faced by children with FAS, and the many gaps in effectively intervening. Hopefully we all learn something amd improve the system.

[@Miguel323527]

You should do something about it .

[@malcriadamedina5358]

This is not a trial per se. It's a long drawn out sentencing hearing

[@rizzomatt]

The problem for the defense is that he did not have a horrible childhood. He was loved, cared for and given all types of care by his mother in terms of getting him the services he needed.

[@richardlawson6787]

And it's been recently announced he just inherited 800 thousand dollars from a dead relative...he could be in high cotton right now if had behaved properly

[@cadespencer6320]

@@richardlawson6787 ​ @s A dude that is not true she verbally abused him and did other things

[@justthatgirl-ct4jo]

His biological mother did a lot of drugs and drinking while she was pregnant. That seriously messes a person up.

[@elitamalita8123]

@@sA-ny2jl hearsay

[@rizzomatt]

@@justthatgirl-ct4jo I don’t disagree with you that it can mess a person up. However, the defense is trying to say that he never had a chance because of that. Well, it seems like he was given every opportunity. I think the defense case is very hard. His attorneys are very good from what I’ve seen so far but they have an uphill battle.

[@beatrizpadilla838]

Unfortunately there are so many children now a day with the same condition as this young man and so little help,and so much ignorance from teachers that don't know or they don't want to deal with a child with disability,and when the whole system fails there are victims . The lack of support,the lack of affordable services, is a shame . We all should care in order to have a healthy society.

[@AseAleisha]

That’s why I always get a 2nd opinion I’m finding another school for kids like my own ….

[@jasminejohnstone1803]

Theirs plenty of help iv had it all. To many excuses his sad excuse of a mother new and failed him .....

[@RK-jm2zl]

@@jasminejohnstone1803 Saw your post about how you got lucky and others didn't have a chance. Congratulations on the change, it's the weirdest part. Took me nearly going prison to figure it out too. Some people have parents who guided them fully and it's easy, others don't. The first rarely seem to understand and almost never seem to be able to look one step further back at the parents.

[@JN-wr9he]

@@jasminejohnstone1803 plenty of help? where? for free? there was limited awareness and support back when he was growing up anyway

[@expatleanie]

See as a preschool .. kindergarten teacher this is why I wish our observations would be taken more seriously because it can be prevented or intervened and helped..

[@elmalloc]

@@danbillington and also, maybe, remove the ability for basically anyone to get an automated rifle in USA.

[@sweetsoldier5]

This whole tragic event should really show those who rule contries and our lawsystems how important it is to take family problems serious. When I watched the sister speak, I wasn't suprised that no one helped her enough but that's what's so sad about societies. It seems so hard to take away children from damaging families and help kids with their special needs. His sister said she met psychologists , it makes me wonder what they did to help her when she stayed in such a bad place. The teachers response is a good example of how important it is to be aware of childrens behaviours and give them the help they need and even when they are older it's obvious that something isn't right and children need help no matter their age is if they act out , start doing drugs, drinking, smoking, etc because those are strong signs. And alot of people do ask for help when they are older but they aren't heard and taken seriously so the responsibility are put on them and it's higly common that they will go to substances and harm themselves or become criminals because they don't know how to solve their problems. Unfortunately too many adults, parents, psychologists, doctors and teachers act as if the kids are fine and deny that there is any problems. In many children it will show early if something is wrong. In sweden, preschool teachers make alot of paperwork and write down information about childrens behaviour to make a better judgement to why a child is behaving in a certain way. I have seen kids who change their behaviour to being anxious, distancing themselves from others, become aggressive or having other issues that stands out and with everything else we know about their background, family, etc we can acknowledge that something bad is going on here. Alot of times this has helped both teachers and parents to take actions early to do something about it and many times nothing is done at all. There are kids I took care of who I think about sometimes and wonder how their life turned when they got older because nothing was done about their problems at home when they was in preschool. And children do grow up with ptsd even if it was from things that happened with them when they were 5 years old and younger. Just because someone is young doesn't mean they can handle issues on their own and just move on because adults tell them to put things aside. And it's the same with older kids and adults who go through trauma that isn't taken seriously by any one. I don't know how many people have to die, commit suicide, get diagnosed with disorders, get bullied, change schools to escape the bullies, get sexually harassed, get raped, become criminals, until our leaders understand that mental health ruins lives and have to be some we prioritize in todays society. We have to listen and help those who need it because it only gets worse as we have seen in many countries. Here in sweden, more teenagers then ever is quitting school and become criminals instead. Mental health is one of our biggest problems because so many suffers from it. If we solved that problem and gave more people help it would have a positive effect on so many other aspects in life. I remember many kids from school when I worked as a teacher who we could tell would have a tough time growing up because of what happened in their life at home, and the ones we were supposed to turn to who worked with health care, laws and people in need of help did nothing about it even though we made reports. I grew up with disorders and became addicted to things when I was 12. I have been through so much sexual assualt, abuse, rape, and more harassment that broke me down. It wasn't until I was 23, a doctor told me for the first time that I needed help and they could give it to me. I just remember laughing and told him that "it''s fine, this is all normal and I'm used to it by now. No one ever cared or listened so why would you?" After that my healing journey began. I'm far from healthy. I haven't been able to work during the past 3 years but now I go to therapy, eat daily medications like anti anxiety pills and antidepressants and are supported by my family and friends. I get help with my problems but it will take a loooong time and alot of hard work until I'm gonna feel better, if I ever will, I hope so!

[@BrandyH-eh9up]

I have worked with kids for years and i can always tell the kids who have problems and will have problems as they grow older

[@cloud8315]

😔

[@RK-jm2zl]

Genuine question, do you not look at the parents at all and think what are you doing?

[@BrandyH-eh9up]

@@RK-jm2zl all the time!

[@isaacharris6964]

I feel bad for all the kids who have to have you as a caregiver

[@minnesotanative5734]

Having worked with ED (emotionally disturbed) students for years I can clearly remember some students who displayed behaviors that were extremely concerning. ED is a catch all sort of phrase that encompassed many types of student backgrounds. In the elementary ages the classes were small and were not blended with typical learners. Some students were violent towards themselves and others. The problem was that the school district and administrators refused to recognize that some of these students, many under 10 years old, would have been better served in a more specialized setting or even a hospital in some cases. These students are classified as special Ed and as such are worth more money to the district than an average learner. So regardless of the threats posed to other students and staff they would remain on campus.

[@stephaniesauceda7700]

It’s also the law they remain on campus, least restrictive environment.

[@veronniep]

@@stephaniesauceda7700 And for good reason. Separating high behavior kids and putting them in a "specialized setting" means putting high behavior kids with only other high behavior kids, and they therefore don't have pro-social examples and positive peer relationships. Which means they look at their environment and start to think these behaviors are normal because all the kids they see have them. High behavior kids need positive influences and pro-social development. Not to be put around bad influences and in an environment where they start to think their behavior is okay because everyone acts that way.

[@stephaniesauceda7700]

Absolutely. It’s for everyone’s benefit!

[@lisaklozenberg6408]

Same as in the UK

[@theauklet]

@@veronniep How'd that work out for the 17 people Criz murdered? Would you say this was a mainstreaming success?

[@chonk2021]

the defense's job is to show his past contributed to his behavior that he didn't operate in a vaccum, enough to warrant a case that life in prison is more appropriate instead of death. That's a high hurdle to cross considering how cold and calculating he was but they still have to their jobs or they fail as attorneys for any defendant. They're trying to convince the jury who must follow the law, not the court of public opinion .

[@dewilew2137]

Yes, we know 🙄

[@audreyheart2180]

🙏❤ Having grown up in very similar circumstances , I can totally relate to Johnny. When I had my children and having had such horrible role models for parents, I felt completely inept when it came to raising my own children. So, I came to the conclusion that I would literally do the exact opposite of what my parents had done and believe it or not, it worked out beautifully! I also, lived vicariously through them, giving them the childhood I wished I could have experienced. They had birthday parties every year and wonderful Christmases. When money was tight, I put things on lay away starting in July so, they would have a wonderful Christmas without disappointments. I did my best to make them feel special and more than anything, wanted and loved . They turned out to be amazing caring, loving, compassionate adults, who I am extremely proud of! -Hester Mongomery

[@Michael-cs3li]

Be quiet, this is about the dead children not you

[@audreyheart2180]

@@Michael-cs3li this is about abused children

[@kimbo30kh]

Like she is supposed to remember the exact number of kids she worked with in her career!🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

[@pusheen9444]

It’s just to demonstrate her experience working with children…

[@DiahRhiaJones]

No, she isn't. They literally tell her to do her best.

[@kimbo30kh]

@@DiahRhiaJones My statement was meant mainly out of sarcasm.

[@Mrsnitasarn]

My child is like this. Hes a sensory seeker. Did have a language delay but hes gotten help and is now fine. He still has problems with social interactions. He goes0-100 real quick. They are now having a behavioral therapist coming to the school to help him. Its hard knowing what his future will look like. Im doing everything I can to make sure he has the best life and future. Hes so incredibly smart, but its like Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde personality.

[@nepetunia444]

i ask you please to educate yourself on autism. i don’t mean this in a condescending way.. it’s just i take it so seriously. he’s most likely neurodivergent (autistic). listen to other autistic people and what they have to say about their experiences and as long as you are attentive with him, he’ll be absolutely okay. i’m very afraid this case is making people think autism/neurodivergencies are wrong… i wish you the best.

[@katethegreat2222]

That’s a red flag to watch out for. Be careful.

[@viktoriabarajassalazar7549]

Good Luck for you and your child. And much patience for you 🤍🙏

[@TheMagician86]

Interesting. Ty. So sorry for all of this catastrophe.

[@HopefulInterventions]

I don’t usually judge. But so many times the defense attorney had to continually correct the witness after answering yes or no questions with “ehhumm”. She’s a teacher so she has good skills.

[@ruboo8053]

It’s more for the court log as it’s typed yes is easier to type and record

[@maryjemison1101]

Tears poor Child early childhood teacher myself Prayers 🙏

[@qwerty-ph6qm]

This judge is really beautiful, and a nice smart very empathic person. It's very difficult I'm sure to even get someone who is this unbiased to go through this trial. If there's a publication for judges she definitely needs to be on the front of it.

[@stony5243]

Look how gentle and caring they are for her compared to the older woman who knew cruz's mom

[@Flylikeaneagle1000]

He blocked out his emotions to deal with him pain. He needed to be in an environment where he was nurtured and shown his greatness so he could flourish not be judged and just get worse.

[@Face_Reality]

Him pain?

[@yawehhill9180]

Pain?

[@chenahill3107]

Sure but he has killed 17 people and injured 17 others and caused a lifetime of trauma for them all so at this point his upbringing nobody cares….he lost the option for sympathy when he did what he did. U see there’s barely anyone in the courtroom nobody wants to hear it at this point. Put him away! To never ever be able to come out he also has been writing letters to some girl from jail talking about how jail sucks and he wants to have kids and name them the names of guns and continuing on talking about another shooting that happened in Philly and that prayers for out to the shooter because he’s gonna need support…. Give me a break

[@reginacampbell9134]

@@chenahill3107 you are so right, he wasn’t all what the defense is saying when he went and w that GUN and he wasn’t even in school and I believe he was just a little slow a lot of people have a bad childhood it don’t go to school and kill 17 and injured 17

[@mritzs5142]

@Kathy Larson I was intrigued by the term greatness ,I know you do not mean he is great, but that in children it is our responsibility to help each one to find that in themselves I might perhaps offend, if not understood where you were coming from

[@brendasprankle9394]

Who gives a crap about this, wasting time and so unfair to the victims who are traumatized and heartbroken. You have to see how evil this process is. Give the death penalty and now. Enough, stop putting these people through this. NO EXCUSES

[@laycrow6959]

Clearly you don’t know how the legal system works

[@Face_Reality]

@@laycrow6959 regardless, that doesn't make our legal system right or moral... It's extremely flawed... It "works" like a hot mess...

[@brandonayala4605]

Wow you really have no idea what a fair trial is and it shows in this comment.

[@JN-wr9he]

would you have said the same thing if it was someone close to you who had developed a brain tumour affecting parts of his brain responsible for empathy and overall socio-emotional functioning?

[@bootscooty]

Live by the sword die by the sword. There are so many fetal alcohol babies out there who I've known I even known a couple crack babies who grew up into being people who were messed up but they never did anything like this. I'm not sorry for this dude at all. He was following the mold of all the other kids who do this and want to gain temporary Fame and Glory and get away with it

[@lauracappucci7675]

You have some reasonable points I must admit. I've leaned toward him being screwed up by his genetics, his own mother first.

[@Ash_426]

I'm a reading teacher (we write up the IEPs that the defense attorney mentioned) and I am also raising my niece who has FASD, as my sister did drugs throughout her pregnancy. My niece had to be put on morphine for the first month of her life. It can certainly cause developmental delays, which can in turn cause behavioral problems. But nonetheless it does not cause a person to be evil and murder innocent people. I truly believe that some people are just born evil and Nikolas Cruz is one of those people. Give him the death penalty and move along.

[@bluelight8664]

apperently his mother was also selling her body to strangers and taking crack cocaine and people have the nerve to say He was born evil

[@bootscooty]

@@bluelight8664 he was

[@JN-wr9he]

@@Ash_426 some people turn anger inwards others outwards, if we could only predict. either way, in both case they need help to become functioning members of society - and if the society only points fingers and doesn't look for ways to support them then nothing will get better

[@maria2009985]

This so interesting. I’ve learned so much in my premises as well. Background check and child assessment it’s so important Specially when children shows inadequate behavior We strongly refers to Professionals. It’s terrible when Parents aren’t helpful to follow up.

[@Truthdosentexist69]

When does he get the chair?

[@mizfeng1442]

He 100% meets the facial and behavioural profile of a child with FASD. It's depressing as you can see that he might have otherwise had a relatively normal life if he'd been given a better start when he was developing in the womb. He was exposed to alcohol in the womb and it essentially doomed him to what he is now - had the diagnosis of FASD been given and he'd received more appropriate treatment, he may have had a very different outcome. The fact that he lost both his adoptive parents AND his birth mother cannot be understated. He was severely damaged and traumatised before he could even comprehend it. 17 lives could have been spared if his damage was recognised and more effectively treated - he was essentially crying out for help through aggression and was just treated like a difficult or hyperactive child. What a sad case all around, nothing is black and white but there were so many opportunities to save children's lives that were not taken here.

[@michaeldunetz90]

The child of our dreams. This is the type of child that every parent dreams of not giving birth to ,

[@mab1ism]

He was a cute kid. So sad

[@Tingtong7130]

I want to reach in to a baby picture of him and show him love so that he never goes on to do the terrible things he does 😞 this whole thing is dreadfully sad. I’m so sorry to everyone.

[@theirmom4723]

Love doesn't always stop these things from happening...

[@dcc-randomstorieswithmel7424]

He had love from his adoptive parents

[@kittygirl_thetortie498]

His adoptive parents Linda and Roger Cruz showed him plenty of love and comfort.

[@Tingtong7130]

From conception

[@JN-wr9he]

@@kittygirl_thetortie498 not the right kind of love sadly

[@FakeNewsNJ]

I absolutely dislike how the prosecution team is making facial expressions in the background. These are real issues with children born addicted to drugs/alcohol. My sister was born addicted to crack and didn’t speak until she was 3. It bothers me they are reacting to the teacher in this manner. Not saying they shouldn’t be angry but it’s wrong.

[@Zeldafan1981]

And this is why abortion must remain legal. Adoption while seems caring sometimes termination is the best option.

[@notmytruth.thetruth.2711]

And THIS behavior back in pre-school is a “mitigating” factor to result in yesterday’s “Life Sentence without possibility of parole”. Atrocious. He is a monster.

[@JN-wr9he]

not behaviour - the history of largely unmitigated disabilities

[@thomasdoyle9748]

Everyone talks about fetal alcohol syndrome. But what about the effects of crack?

[@ThePrissy11]

Everyone knows Cruz was a troubled kid. Move on.

[@JN-wr9he]

move on - and forget? and then what? nothing to learn here? way to go! don't expect things to change with this attitude then

[@petejames1326]

I must comment here, this is absolutely fascinating stuff, as you all know ive been following this case for weeks now, and usually i hate it when they have a long interview with a witness or stuff like that, but this great stuff, its such a shame this was ONLY 50min, i could listen to her for 3 hrs if i could, this is better than watching some sitcom,lol

[@evanjames8075]

Who are you talking to.

[@petejames1326]

@@evanjames8075 anyone who will read what i just posted

[@evanjames8075]

@@petejames1326 when you say “as you all know” that usually makes people assume you are speaking to a following or people familiar with what you are about to speak on. You said it randomly like a crazy person speaking to squirrels.

[@malcriadamedina5358]

Feel the same way. I wanted more to be asked

[@iamastrangeloop9204]

@@evanjames8075 why are you picking apart this guys youtube comment? He just wanted to express himself.

[@Thatzulugirl05]

There’s people who had it worse than he but turned out ok and didn’t go around hurting others … It just seems he became obsessed with hurting people for whatever reason .. attention idk but it’s not fair to say his childhood turned him into a monster! Because we all go through a lot of hurtful things and all have our share or neglect or horrible upbringing . We just choose our paths to better ourselves and others choose to hurt and destroy because they chose to do that

[@genenebruwer4809]

If you do your homework and -research PROPERLY, you'll be stunned and -taken aback at HOW MANY adopted children have serious mental issues. Many have turned on their adoptive parents. I'm sorry but I have the right to my own say. I would NEVER EVER recommend adoption. Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. Same goes for adoption.

[@JN-wr9he]

true, but sadly you don't often know what your partner's or your own genetic makeup holds

[@dewilew2137]

I wonder if anyone is even concerned about what Zachary might have gone through growing up, seeing as Linda Cruz was likely a racist who explicitly stated she wouldn’t adopt a black or biracial child. She really only took him out of love for Nick, his half brother. That poor kid was probably traumatized just growing up in that household, and he was undoubtedly treated differently. Nick had the best chances for a good life out of the three siblings, he got all the help a troubled child could ever need, and yet still...

[@Ausgar-yc1yl]

They were full brothers once adopted.

[@JN-wr9he]

he also triggered Nicholas and contributed to his problems, but it's hard to blame him knowing he was a child and a victim of the situation himself. poor parenting kills

[@khunter8757]

I find it interesting that this witness refuses to disparage the adopted mom.