Nikolas Cruz trial: FASD expert has ‘never seen’ pregnant woman abuse alcohol as much as shooter’s mother
An expert in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) has testified that he has “never seen” a woman abuse alcohol while pregnant as much as Nikolas Cruz’s biological mother.
Dr Kenneth Jones took the witness stand on Tuesday as the defence continues to build its case that the mass murderer suffered brain damage and struggled with severe behavioural problems because of his exposure to alcohol in the womb.
Dr Jones, one of the nation’s leading FASD researchers who has a dedicated clinic for children prenatally exposed to alcohol, testified that Cruz’s biological mother drank more during her pregnancy than any woman he has ever come across in his 50-year career.
“I don’t think I have ever seen — I know I have never seen — so much alcohol consumed by a pregnant woman,” he said.
Dr Jones, who told jurors he was not being paid for his testimony, also said that he had never had so much documentation to prove a patient’s prenatal alcohol exposure.
“I have never, ever in my life seen an individual who has been affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol in which there is documentation – and I think pretty darn good documentation — of alcohol exposure,” he said.
Official records and previous witness testimony have revealed that Cruz’s biological mother Brenda Woodard abused alcohol and drugs while she was pregnant with the future mass shooter.
Woodard’s daughter Danielle Woodard – Cruz’s biological half-sister – and Woodard’s former friend Carolyn Deakins both testified that they saw Woodard continue to drink, take drugs and smoke during the pregnancy.
During the defence’s opening statement on 22 August, lead public defender Melisa McNeill said that Cruz suffers from FASD because of Woodard’s alcohol abuse.
Ms McNeill said that the “choices” Cruz made on Valentine’s Day 2018 all began with the “choices” made by his biological mother when she “poisoned him in the womb”.
“His brain is broken. He is a damaged human being,” she said.
“His prenatal vitamins consisted of... Bum wine, crack cocaine and cigarettes... Because of that his brain is irretrievably broken.”
FASDs are conditions caused by an individual being exposed to alcohol in the womb before birth.
The effects of FASD can vary but typically include both physical problems and behavioural and learning problems.
Signs and symptoms include: learning disabilities, small head size, hyperactive behaviour, poor reasoning and judgment skills, difficulty in school and intellectual disability, among other things.
There are several different conditions, including Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).
The argument that Cruz has FASD is a key part of the defence’s strategy to try to convince jurors to spare his life as they claim that birth defects, anti-social behaviour disorders and a troubled upbringing all contributed to him carrying out what remains one of the worst mass shootings in US history.
Cruz was 19 when he travelled to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day 2018 armed with an AR-15 style rifle.
He opened fire on students and staff inside the freshman building, killing 14 students and three staff members.
Cruz, now 23, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder back in October.
Jurors will now decide whether he should receive the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole.
