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More Potential Jurors Facing Questions In Jury Selection Process For Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz's Sentencing Trial

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) - More potential jurors are facing questions from prosecutors and defense attorneys in the sentencing trial of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz on Tuesday.

A judge, prosecutors and defense attorneys began screening the first candidates on Monday for the 12-member panel that will decide if Cruz is executed or gets life in prison.

"In these situations, you have to find out whether or not people are going to be able to sit in the ultimate judgment," said attorney David Weinstein, a former state and federal prosecutor.

He said this is just the beginning of what will be a long and thorough process.

"What may disqualify a potential juror, is if they say they hold a belief that in any case where someone has killed another individual, they should always be sentenced to death. Or, if they hold a position that says no matter how horrible a crime that's been committed, no matter how many aggravating factors you present to me, I would never recommend that the death penalty be imposed," he explained.

Cruz confessed to killing 17 people when he opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland in February 2018.

He pleaded guilty to the murders last October.

"This phase of the case is not a determination of whether or not he is innocent or guilty," said Weinstein. "He's already admitted that he is guilty of these crimes. What they're considering now is trying to decide what the punishment should be that will be imposed on him. So the fact that they know something about this case doesn't automatically disqualify them."

WATCH: Attorney Richard Rosenbaum Weighs In On Jury Selection Process

But it will be up to jurors during the penalty phase to decide whether he dies for his crimes.

Debbi Hixon's husband, Chris, a coach at the school, was one of the victims.

"We were supposed to start jury selection in January. It's always 'oh, but-- oh, but...'" she said. "It's always in the future, so to be starting jury selection, to know the trial is finally going to start, is—I don't know if relief is the right word— but a move in the right direction."

"This is a person who doesn't deserve one more ounce of energy from our community," she added. "He wanted to be infamous, right? So, here he is. I just hope they are open minded about the death penalty."

Under Florida law, all 12 jurors have to unanimously agree before the defendant is sentenced to death.

To be selected, candidates must say they can judge Cruz fairly and vote for the death penalty if the evidence requires it. About 120 of 160 candidates were dismissed Monday. Most said it would be impossible for them to serve from June through September. A few were dismissed because of health issues, because they don't speak English fluently or because they had already paid for extensive vacations.

A woman was dismissed when she began crying upon seeing Cruz. Another prospective juror had a personal connection to Scherer, having taught her how to roller-skate as a child. Yet another had met Cruz in 2016 on a group outing, while one woman was excused after saying she couldn't serve on a jury because she needed to meet up with her "sugar daddy" every day.

Approximately 1,500 potential jurors, perhaps more, will be screened over the next few weeks as the pool is pared down to 12 plus eight alternates in a three-step process that will run through the end of May.

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