The defense has the right to not have a jury that is overwhelmed, said Robert M. Jarvis, a law professor at Nova Southeastern University in Davie, Fla. Several witnesses have cried on the stand. Chris Hixon (first floor hallway, west end): Initially shot multiple times in the leg (s). Family members of the victims held hands and wiped away tears as the verdict was read. from Refinery 29: But also, because we discover that he's not with us. The suffering that these people endured has to be explained to the jury.. Also on Friday, jurors saw the spent AR-15 magazine clips found on the scene. Cruz has already pleaded guilty, and the state is asking the jury to send the 23-year-old to Florida Death Row for execution. For Nicholas Dworet, we definitely now know he was with the group that went to the more exposed corner. ", "This happened 19 years later after Columbine, five years later after Sandy Hook," April adds. Schentrup, who was an 18-year-old freshman at the University of Central Florida when his sister was killed, remembers her as a brainy and ambitious teenager, someone whose focus was doing well in. Even so, Ms. Risher said she does not regret attending the trial, which she described as some of the hardest days of her life. ", April Schentrup can imagine what that feels like. But when I said it, it didn't sound right," April says. ", Across The Country, Students Walk Out To Protest Gun Violence. But Schentrup hopes that by sharing his personal stance others will examine the issue for themselves. This is the part where people try to convince me that vengeance should make me feel better and that it will bring me closure so that I can continue to heal., But I do not f**king care, Schentrup wrote, because my sister is dead, and killing someone else will not bring her back.. Her parents, Philip and April, speak with soft wonder as they share memories of their daughter, who showed she was gifted from an early age. I think it may have been Martin Duque since when they found him he was alive but he died soon after they took him out of the school. That on the day before the massacre, he had searched online: How long does it take for a cop to show up at a school shooting.. Philip talks with Evelyn before leaving for work. Was seen gasping for air (possibly indicating a lung(s) was punctured); she died after a few minutes before EMS entered the room. Since the video is blurry and doesnt focus on the body I could see how someone could mistake it for being someone else who died in the hallways (such as Joquain). Placing his arm across my body and my head underneath his back. The program for a concert in memory of Robert Schentrup's sister Carmen Schentrup. She recalls the family's frantic search for information: calling friends, sending out messages on social media, driving from hospital to hospital searching for Carmen. He unzipped his jacket during his testimony to show jurors scars from the bullet wounds and from 14 subsequent operations. No one could tell them anything. And he believes its morally wrong for the state to take the life of an individual because that individual took the life or lives of others, he said, quoting a phrase often attributed to Mahatma Gandhi, An eye for an eye makes the whole world go blind., Here's why the Parkland shooter is facing a jury even though he has already pleaded guilty. The gunman shot out a window in the class door. The judge has allowed the evidence over the objections of defense lawyers, who say that it is repetitive, gruesome and intended to prejudice the jury against their client. Zero USA Founder & CEO Robert Schentrup is brother to Carmen Schentrup, one of the 17 victims of the Parkland School Shooting. hide caption. Carmen Schentrup had a laser focus on her future a straight-A student and National Merit . Cruz waived his right to be present at the viewing. Unlike his parents, he opposes the death penalty for the gunman. Several months ago, April Schentrup kept that urn close by, nestled at her feet, as she flew across the country to the family's new home. Another girl, shot four times, was missing much of her arm. hide caption. Did you encounter any technical issues? "It's something we feel we have to do not only for Carmen, but for Robert and Evelyn. For example, there was the implicit pressure to be "Parkland Strong. Since they didn't do what was needed then, let the court get it right this time," Carmen Schentrup's mother, April Schentrup, wrote. We can fix it. This year's anniversary comes in the wake of the court's decision to spare the shooter, 24-year-old Nikolas Cruz, from the death penalty, charging him with life in prison without parole for 17 counts of first-degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder, to which he pleaded guilty. He described. This will not help us heal and get any kind of closure, Michael B. Schulman, whose 35-year-old son, Scott J. Beigel, was killed in the shooting, wrote in 2019 in The South Florida Sun Sentinel. At the time she died, Carmen had been accepted into the University of Florida's honors program, with dreams of becoming a medical researcher. The Schentrups have little patience for the argument that it's the shooter that's the problem, not the weapon. A witness said he was shot "10 times" in the right leg. The other half was diagonally across from the window, in complete view. The gunman kept asking him for a ride, even following Wilford to his moms car in the parking lot. Their strength has become hers, April says. How the high-powered bullets ravaged childrens bodies. So I'm thinking that the moaning and heavy breathing in the 1213 video is actually Maddie since a bullet to the right temple would be near instant? Still, Schentrup is not alone in his stance against the death penalty: Michael B. Schulman, whose son, geography teacher Scott Beigel, was one of three staff members killed, wrote an op-ed for the . It's all of the above. Satz again asked about the significance of the high-powered bullets. CARMEN SCHENTRUP. And hopefully that doing something creates a change for the positive. For a few weeks after their daughter Carmen was murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018, a week shy of her 17th birthday, April and Phil Schentrup could barely. He like had his head fallen over he, okay, so here he he he was in his chair and he was slumped over like this." It was only in the last year and a half or so, he said, with the trial approaching that he thought about it more and his opinion was clarified, thanks in part to Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson, the founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative. I think it could be either one of them tbh since we dont have a definitive answer right now. Robert Schentrup at his Seattle apartment on September 15, 2022. If we choose to wait, there will just be more parents like us. Alyse Young for NPR So I don't know. In Alainas case, she was shot four times. Carmen Marie Schentrup 2/21/01-2/14/18. ", The Schentrup family stands for a group portrait outside their home in Parkland, Fla., on Tuesday. But as painful as the loss of his sister is, Schentrup does not believe sentencing the killer to death is the solution. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Trials of gunmen who have killed so many people in mass shootings are extremely rare, because they have almost always died during the attack. So we have a part in it. The Parkland trial is expected to continue into the fall, and victims families will soon have a chance to address the jury. The experience of victims of similar tragedies points to the distress of hearing the brutal details of a loved ones death described in open court. They'll be joined by many other Parkland families, as well as clergy and members of their Episcopal church, St. Mary Magdalene of Coral Springs, Fla., where Carmen was a youth group leader. Part of it was to push people to think internally about their stance and really come to their own conclusion about it, he said. Its very high energy, Boiko said of the bullets. They think Mr. Cruz, 23, should be sentenced to death. Later finished off with multiple shots to the chest and abdomen. In the years since, Schentrup has moved to Seattle, Washington, and, like many other victims relatives, has poured himself into addressing gun violence: Today he works on the organizing team for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and helps manage its youth program called Team ENOUGH. 6:39 PM EDT, Mon October 10, 2022. It still boggles my mind how Carmen Schentrup was killed with a gut shot, but the other heavily wounded girl in that video (Maddy Wilford) had arguably more serious wounds. Carmen Schentrup, 16. [2] [3] [4] Cruz, a former student at the school, fled the . "I guess it was just too much change for me," she says, recalling her first panic attack: "I just started crying out of nowhere, and so I went to the bathroom to wipe off my tears, you know, fix my makeup, like a teenager would do. But the horrifying particulars, conveyed in emotional witness testimony, chilling audio recordings and dispassionate forensic accounts, are impossible to avoid altogether: How a teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School tied a baby blanket around a wounded students arm as a tourniquet. "It felt like, here's this mom who's grieving or vocal about all these issues, and let's just give her a job and make it seem to the public like they're doing a good thing. Robert Schentrup of Brady United, a national gun-reform group, lost his 16-year-old sister, Carmen, in the Parkland shooting. The 12-person jury has also seen numerous surveillance video clips, chronicling Cruzs methodical attack, firing into classrooms through windows on the doors, sprinting to the third floor and gunning down terrified students gathered in the hallway. The damage is very significant.. A third wound blew off part of her shoulder blade. It just seems like it's a problem that can't be ignored anymore. The conversation is etched in April's mind: "She said, 'I'm speaking for my sister, 'cause she can't speak. Mr. Schentrup said he would find the trial traumatizing. Hers is one of 17 shrines to the victims of the Parkland shooting. These are the victims of the Florida school shooting, Logically, it doesnt follow for me that we say, murdering someone is this horrible, heinous, awful, terrible thing, and in order to prove that point, were going to do it to someone else., And I understood that if this is something that I felt that I believe that it needed to apply in my personal case and beyond, he said. appreciated. This during the penalty phase in the trial of confessed shooter Nikolas Cruz who previously plead guilty to all 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. It was just failure after failure after failure. She took on pre-calculus in a six-week summer session. He was shot before he could even get out of his seat and was reportedly agonal breathing/hyperventilating for a short amount of time before going passing. They were among the 17 people killed by a gunman at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine's Day in 2018. They have sat in a downtown Fort Lauderdale courtroom nearly every day since the state began presenting its case last week, shaking their heads, dabbing their eyes and holding on to one another during the most difficult moments. A Jury Has Spared The Parkland Shooter From The Death Penalty. But if that is true, I dont think its been publicly avalible at least. Carmen was one of the school's 10 National Merit Scholar semifinalists A. Todd. Do we know who that is, out of the injuries? I was thinking it could've been him or Kyle Laman but Kyle escaped and the body stayed put in the video. Still, Mr. Schentrups position which he described as shaped by his religious upbringing and by survivors of the Charleston, S.C., church shooting in 2015, who preached forgiveness is so unusual among the Parkland victims families who have spoken about the trial that his parents have publicly disagreed with him. I had a bad gut feeling about it, testified Wilford who would later learn that his sister, Madeline, was wounded in the attack by the very teen whod been pestering him for a ride. Carmen Schentrup was a high school senior, one week shy of her 17th birthday, when she was shot and killed in her AP psychology classroom. Hers is one of 17 shrines to the victims of the Parkland shooting. Jurors are expected to begin deliberating in the gunmans trial this week, almost a year after he pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder, to decide whether to recommend he be sentenced to death. He signaled his intent for years," Philip says, referring to the shooter. David Ovalle covers crime and courts in Miami. They. Carmen Marie Schentrup. Hixon's death impacted the entire community, as he was a mentor to many of his peers and students and a coach across several schools in Broward County, his wife said. After his death his family set up a GoFundMe page to act as a scholarship fund in his memory Meadow Pollack, 18 Helena Ramsay, 17 Alex Schachter, 14 Carmen Schentrup, 16 This is basically a pressure wave which can cause damage to nearby tissue, organs and nerves even if those tissues/organs weren't directly in the bullet's trajectory. Their view, however, is not unanimously held. This same witness later stated that they didn't exactly see where he was shot but that he had a bullet hole in his ribcage. The Twitter account for the high school's Eagles football team marked the death of Coach Feis with "Great sadness." Nicholas Dworet Reuters Gina Montalto Facebook Carmen Schentrup Instagram. ", WATCH: In A Post-Parkland America, Teens Talk About Gun Culture, After Daughter's 'Unimaginable' Death, Parkland Family Moved To Action. And when a hail of rifle bullets cut her down in her classroom, the high-velocity bullets caused extensive damage to her body, an associate medical examiner testified on Friday, underscoring the devastating carnage wrought by the AR-15 fired by shooter Nikolas Cruz. The painting, acrylic on canvas, is by Parkland artist Nava Lundy, who created portraits of all 17 Parkland victims and gave them to the families. I had to look deep into my values and say, is this something that connects with it? They are part of the advocacy group Stand With Parkland, started by the victims' families, which is pushing for changes nationwide: tougher school safety measures, better mental health screening and tighter gun laws. But they feel they can't stay silent any longer. Carmen was a c-section baby and wanted to come out breach, but luckily, Carmen entered this world a healthy baby. This story was originally published July 22, 2022, 5:22 PM. At one point, a female juror also wiped away tears. Carmen pushed herself to do her best in school, piano, and learning new things, such as German. But it feels necessary. Was killed after opening the door to his classroom to let students in. Wilford declined. Fred Guttenberg, whose 14-year-old child was gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14 . There was an overhead video of the triage center and I kept hearing that someone passed away outside "on the sidewalk". Rumors started spreading like wildfire that Carmen had been shot and was left in the building as other students were evacuated. So we lost bathroom privileges at certain hours. ", "It's unimaginable, but I think we need to imagine it," April says. And there shouldn't be more parents like us. Wondering if you can possibly find it or more unleaked videos. Alyse Young for NPR Im pretty sure he saw Cruz and then turned to run and was shot in the back of the head while he was turning. April says when she tells people where they moved from, "They'll say 'Ohhhh! Since the shooting and moving with her family across the country, Evelyn has struggled with anxiety and enrolled in online high school classes. In the aftermath of his sisters killing, he said, he didnt know what to think about the death penalty. Was frozen in fear after being trapped in the third floor hallway. And if so, live through that.. He let in multiple students but to lock the doors he had to do it from the outside and was subsequently killed while trying to do this. Carmen Schentrup, 16 A straight-A student and National Merit Scholarship finalist, she planned to become a doctor who researched amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, commonly called Lou Gehrig's Disease. Press J to jump to the feed. Healing, for me, is not something that will happen based upon a verdict at the end of the trial, he said. Iouri Boiko, a Broward County medical examiner, performed autopsies for Martin Duque, Alaina Petty, Carmen Schentrup and Meadow Pollack the day after the Feb. 14, 2018 shooting. And maybe, maybe you'll be able to see her then. When I visit the family at their new home, Evelyn is logging in for an orientation session with her new online high school. On March 24, the Schentrups will travel to Washington, D.C. for March for Our Lives, a protest calling for stricter gun regulation. It would be 12 excruciating hours before an FBI agent finally confirmed to the Schentrups that their daughter was among the 17 dead. Being told, when the medical examiner gives the body back to the funeral home, 'You can't see her. A subreddit centered on the phenomenon of mass murder and the perpetrators who commit them, their motivations, crimes and the psychology of these individuals. Philip and April Schentrup, the parents of 16-year-old Carmen Schentrup, allege that the FBI received sufficient warnings about the confessed shooter, including one that was reportedly. With more urgency than ever before, the Schentrups support gun control measures such as banning the sale of assault-style weapons and high-capacity magazines. hide caption. And hugging Evelyn a little bit harder. The dark day was February 14, 2018, and even after 4 years of what happened people still cannot forget the horrific day. hide caption. 25 Feb/23. Anybody have links to the videos OP references? "I just felt this urgency," Lundy says. "I think it was just hard for them being around so many reminders of her," she says. One year after Carmen's death, April Schentrup stands beside a photograph of her daughter that was used during her funeral but now rests in the family's new home. . Carmen played guitar, violin and piano. "If police did their job that day the shooter would've been killed at MSD. "And I walk up to her and say, 'Hey, would you like daddy to help you read the book?' Schentrups opposition to the death penalty was more of an intellectual response than an emotional one, he indicated. The wounded students have also detailed a litany of injuries inflicted by the AR-15 bullets shattered kneecaps, pierced lungs and close-call grazes to the head. "We become immune to tragedy," he says. Carmens murder was hard, Schentrup said, for him and his family. Carmen Schentrup, 16, suffered five wounds, including a lethal shot to the brain. Was subsequently shot in the back an additional 5 times (killing both girls). Photos of the Schentrup family and their daughter Carmen fill the living room of the family's new home. "She would go online and find a song she loved and just practice until she did it," says her younger sister Evelyn, age 14. Right to be present at the end of the trial traumatizing body carmen schentrup autopsy my head his. 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