Jurors heard more about the effects of alcohol on unborn babies in defense of the Parkland school shooter Tuesday.
Neuro-psychologist Dr. Paul Connor was cross examined about his testimony on Monday.
Connor explained how he conducted several tests on Nikolas Cruz during a five-hour meeting and the results fell within a “severely impaired range” of behaviors, and Cruz had a below average IQ of 83.
The next defense witness seemed to echo Dr. Connor’s findings about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders causing the poor memory retention, irritability, and severe temper tantrums that the gunman exhibited while growing up.
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“Clearly, Nikolas Cruz has those problems,” pediatrician Dr. Kenneth Jones testified Tuesday. “He definitely has those problems and Dr. Connor’s tests demonstrated that."
Jones added the disorder is not a one-size-fits-all.
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“Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is not a diagnosis,” he said. “It’s an umbrella term.”
Alcohol consumed during pregnancy can also cause physical birth defects that include a short stature, small head and brain, subtle but typical facial features such as narrow eyes, thin upper lip and no vertical ridges between the upper lip and nose, he said.
Any two of these physical features could indicate a person was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Jones said, but not every child exposed to alcohol in the womb develops the disorder.
“Absolutely not,” he said.
Jones spent about 90 minutes with Cruz in 2021, but on cross examination Jones admitted to knowing nothing about Cruz's online research of prior school shootings and his social media proclamations to become the next infamous school shooter.
The defense team contends Cruz showed many neuro-behavioral signs since he was born to a mother with alcohol and drug addictions.
The gunman pleaded guilty, last October, to 17 murders and 17 attempted murders at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Feb. 14, 2018.
The defense team has called 25 witnesses over 11 days trying to show Cruz is deserving of a life prison term because of a lifetime of physical, mental, and emotional instability.
The state is seeking the death penalty.
