Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz dreamt of killing people and being covered in blood four years before he carried out the horrific attack, a court has heard.
Cruz, now 23, brutally murdered 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida on 14 February 2018.
In October last year, he pleaded guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder, and a trial is now underway to determine his sentence.
Jurors were shown a letter sent from school therapist Rona O’Connor Kelly and psychiatrist Nyrma Ortiz from Broward School District to Cruz’s psychiatrist Dr Brett Negin in June 2014.
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In the letter, the school’s mental health professionals wrote a list of the disturbing behaviours Cruz had been showing - noting that he was ‘aggressive’ and ‘paranoid’.
At the time the letter was sent, Cruz attended Cross Creek School in Broward County - a school for children with behavioural problems.
It read: “Per recent information shared in school, he dreams of killing others and is covered in blood,” before going on to say that Cruz was ‘very irritable and reactive’ while at home and school and displayed ‘oppositional and defiant behaviours’.
The letter continued: “He seems to be paranoid and places the blame on others for his behavioural problems.
“He has a preoccupation with guns and the military and perseverates on this topic inappropriately.
“At home, he continues to be aggressive and destructive with minimal provocation. For instance, he destroyed his television after losing a video game that he was playing.”
It also claimed that a hatchet belonging to the family had disappeared and he had been known to punch holes in walls when angry.
The experts wrote to say that they were sharing the details with Dr Negin so that he could ‘reassess’ Cruz’s medication.
However, no action was taken because Dr Negin, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, testified to say he never received the letter.
He went on to say that nothing he had seen while treating Cruz had suggested he would go on to carry out such an atrocious attack.
He said: “There is nothing in the record that would signify that whatsoever.”
The trial has ran for several weeks and had previously heard from the families of Cruz's victims, including Patricia Oliver, the mother of 17-year-old Joaquin Oliver, who said her family had been left ‘shattered’ after the killing.
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Featured Image Credit: Broward's Sheriff Office / WPEC CBS12 News
Claire Reid