Cruz’s death penalty trial: Teacher rolls his eyes, yawns
Ernest Rospierski’s tone in court during his testimony in court overshadowed his heroism on Feb. 14, 2018, while on the 1200 building’s third floor of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Rospierski, who braved the gunfire to usher students to safety, yawned when he walked in front of the jury box where 12 jurors and 10 alternates face Nikolas Cruz.
While behind the stand, Rospierski rolled his eyes, laughed, and added a bit of sarcasm as he answered Assistant State Attorney Mike Satz’s questions.
Max Schachter and Fred Guttenberg react to Ernest Rospierski’s testimony in court on Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale.
The geography and history teacher said the bullets grazed his face and hip and he found Jaime Guttenberg dead. Satz and Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer appeared to understand that everyone copes with trauma differently, so they did not acknowledge the behavior and allowed Rospierski to testify.
The fathers of Alexander Schachter and Jaime Guttenberg, who are among the 17 killed at MSD, had emotional reactions to Rospierski’s testimony on Wednesday. Max Schachter nodded his head in disapproval repeatedly. Fred Guttenberg was in tears.
While some of the surviving teachers chose to leave MSD, Rospierski decided to stay to advocate for the survivors.
Watch video of Rospierski
Ernest Rospierski’s tone in court during his testimony in court overshadowed his heroism on Feb. 14, 2018, while on the 1200 building’s third floor of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
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