(Special guest post by Lady Gray)
Where to start with all the things wrong with this article? Especially the assertions by Cruz’s defense attorneys that DCF, the FBI, the school system, local law enforcement and the local mental health center are all waaaay more to blame than he is. His defense is woefully misguided, and apparently they want to ensure the rest of the public is misguided as well.
First off, DCF did nothing wrong or different in this case than they would have done in any other. Most states’ DCFs operate on what is known as “a preponderance of the evidence”, meaning a reasonable person, presented with the same facts, would most likely come to the same conclusion. Their investigation of Cruz in 2016 found him to be living at home with his mother, receiving services at the mental health center, with no history of suicidal ideation or attempts, no criminal history, and no current gun ownership. DCF had no reason to do anything further.
Secondly, even if the FBI had forwarded the tip to local law enforcement, there really was no reason for them to act on that report, because, again, Cruz had no criminal history and no documented history of threats of violence. In fact, had they spoken to him about it, it may have inflated his ego even more and/or pushed him to live up to his own sick sense of importance, being under scrutiny by the FBI and all.
Thirdly, it’s interesting that the attention whore of a headline screams “Cutting”, yet almost no mention is made of it and no details are provided. My background in psychology tells me if this did happen, it was either a petulant, look-what-you-made-me-do act directed toward his girlfriend, or even a look-at-what-a-tough-guy-I-am display.
The best, and most truthful, paragraph in the entire lengthy article is the very last one, where Broward County sheriff Scott Israel stated the only one to blame here is Nikolas Cruz.
That’s all you need to know.
Real Crime with Trench Reynolds 