Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Teacher, Principal Detail Classroom Misbehavior of Parkland School Shooter

Teacher Carrie Yon testified Nikolas Cruz was a frequent disruptor in her language arts classes

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A teacher kept about 150 pages of personal logs and samples of homework, tests, and other paperwork that detailed Nikolas Cruz’s misbehavior in her classroom, and she shared them with jurors for his defense in the ongoing sentencing trial Thursday.

Carrie Yon was the 20th witness called in Day Eight of the defense case designed to get a life sentence for the 23-year-old who has pleaded guilty to 17 murders and 17 attempted murders in the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Yon taught Cruz eighth grade language arts at Westglades Middle School in 2013. 

She testified that he was a regular disruption in class looking to get laughs from other students or just blurting out profanities aimed at her and classmates.

“He made me very uncomfortable,” she said. “I put him on my radar.”

Yon read from a log she kept and shared with school administrators and parents at the time.

On Oct.23, 2013, she noted how Cruz would behave when other authority figures were called to the classroom but would return to taunting the teacher when they left.

“Yes, now I can talk,” he said. When Yon tried to calm him down by praising him as “a good kid” Cruz responded, “I’m a bad kid. I want to kill.”

On Nov. 12, 2013, she noted how Cruz would curse and act out in the classroom.

He would crumple up, tear up, and throw away several worksheets the class was assigned. When security came to remove him, Cruz looked Yon in the eyes and said, “Can you please shut up?”

On Jan. 14, 2014, she asked Cruz to stop talking in class and he answered “I don’t care if you’re talking,” and then threatened the teacher with “You better give me a good grade on this assignment!”

She also showed some of his paperwork that was frequently covered with curse words and doodling of genitals, swastikas and stickmen firing weapons among other scribblings.

When cross-examined, Yon told prosecutor Michael Satz she felt threatened by Cruz's behavior, especially when she called school security to remove him from her classroom.

“He grabbed the phone so I could not contact [them],” she said.

Defense witness 21 was retired Westglades Middle School principal John Vesey who knew about the problems Cruz was causing his teaching staff.

“Some of them were afraid of Nik when you get right down to it,” Vesey said. “Teachers didn’t sign up for this."

Knowing his troublesome history, Vesey testified there was no way he would have recommended that Cruz attend Marjory Stoneman Douglas. He regrets not telling the staff.

“I feel very guilty about it," he said.

The proceedings got contentious at times with the defense team accusing the state of contacting Vesey and his lawyer by phone to inquire about his testimony before he took the witness stand. Prosecutor Jeff Marcus denied it happened that way.

The defense sought a mistrial, accusing the state of witness tampering.

Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer denied the motion and sternly reminded all the lawyers that they should not argue with each other. They should direct all their complaints through her to maintain professional courtroom decorum.

"I don't want any more rude or disrespectful behavior," Scherer said. "It's gotten quite out of control."

The state is seeking the death penalty. The defense team is trying to show Cruz was mentally and emotionally unstable throughout his childhood and is more deserving of a life prison term.

The sentencing trial resumes 9 a.m. Friday.

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