The Marshall Project

The Hardest Case for Mercy

Joe Sexton

“Making the case for mercy in a death penalty case is a constitutional requirement. But for those who deliver on that mandate, making the case for a killer to be spared can be challenging.”

That’s one of Joe Sexton’s takeaways from The Marshall Project’s investigation into efforts to convince a jury to spare a mass killer from the death penalty. The reporting focuses on the defense team of Nikolas Cruz, who shot dead 17 people and wounded 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018. Sexton’s reporting delves into Cruz’s life and includes insights from Florida legislators as well as experts on fetal alcohol poisoning and death penalty cases before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Judges praised the project as “unforgettable” and “remarkable.” One judge said the reporting will be required reading for their class. Another said, “I will be processing everything that this story made me feel and think about for a long time to come.”

Sexton was a 2025 Pulitzer Prize finalist in journalism for feature writing for this story.

Read the Winning Work

The Hardest Case for Mercy