In the decade before the 2018 attack, Lynda appeared to struggle with both of her sons’ behaviour and called police to the family home dozens of times. Lynda, Nikolas, Roger and Zachary Cruz from left to right (Law & Crime) When Cruz was five and Zachary four, Roger died, leaving Lynda to raise the two boys alone. Unlike Zachary and Cruz, Danielle did grow up with Woodard, other biological relatives and lived in foster care. The brothers also have an older sister Danielle Woodard who also shares the same birth mother. When Cruz was born, he was adopted by the Cruz parents.Īround one year later, Zachary was born and was also adopted by the Cruz parents who raised the boys together. Woodard had a long history of drug and alcohol abuse and a long rap sheet dating back to at least the 1980s. The boys’ birth mother was Brenda Woodard who, at the time of her pregnancy with Cruz, was homeless, an alcoholic, a drug addict and working as a prostitute. Zachary has the same biological mother as Cruz and was also adopted by Lynda and Roger Cruz. Here’s what we know about Cruz’s younger brother: Early life While the trial is casting more of a spotlight on Cruz and his actions leading up to the mass shooting, Zachary also hit headlines in the aftermath of the attack. Of his move to Virginia, Zachary told The Palm Beach Post that he was going to finish high school and then "I want to do anything I want to do.On Valentine’s Day 2018, Cruz took an Uber to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, armed with an AR-15 style rifle and gunned down students and staff.įourteen students and three educators were killed in the massacre. Michael Donovan, Nexus Services's chief executive, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The company, which is under investigation by a federal agency and three states for its business practices, claims it became involved with Zachary's case in a bid to help him. Nexus Services is funding Zachary's relocation to Staunton, Virginia, which is close to the pro bono civil rights organization's headquarters. Judge Melinda Brown granted his request, saying it "seems to be a wonderful opportunity." He said a company, identified as Nexus Services, had offered him free housing, a job and an opportunity at a "new life," The Washington Post reported. He asked a Broward County judge to transfer his probation case to Virginia on May 11. Zachary was arrested again a month later for driving without a license. He claimed he went to the school to "kind of take it all in." "I'm just a kid who likes to skate and have fun with my friends," he said.Ī month after the school shooting, Zachary was arrested for trespassing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas and was held on $500,000 bail. Zachary also opened up to Inside Edition about his two arrests following the massacre and claimed that he is not a danger to society. "I could usually, like, calm him down," he said. In his interview with Inside Edition, Zachary wondered whether he could have prevented the carnage at the high school. However, he told the Post he believes he was "too hard" on his older brother and admitted to bullying him. We would go out and hang at the pool, walk the dogs, and we used to do normal brother stuff together at home," Zachary added. In a separate interview with The Palm Beach Post, Zachary said his brother could be a "very fragile person." The two would fight a lot as children, he said, but later "made amends and came to terms with each other and accepted that we were both different." "He wasn't aware of how many people he killed, and I told him and he kind of, like, fainted, like he blacked out." "He said his demons got to him," Zachary said. Cruz is the brother of accused school shooter Nikolas Cruz. Zachary Cruz smiles during his May 11 hearing at Florida's Broward County Courthouse, where he asked for permission to relocate to Virginia.
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