Jury recommends life in prison for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz
Nikolas Cruz will be sentenced to life in prison without parole for the 2018 killing of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, after a jury said Thursday it could not unanimously agree that he should be executed.
The jury’s recommendation came after seven hours of deliberations over two days, ending a three-month trial that included graphic videos and photos of the massacre and its aftermath, heartbreaking testimony from victims’ family members and a tour of the still blood-stained building.
Under Florida law, a death sentence requires a unanimous vote on at least one count. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer will formally hand down the life sentences on Nov. 1. Relatives of the victims, along with injured students and Cruz teachers, will be given the opportunity to speak at the sentencing hearing.
Cruz, whose hair was largely unkempt, sat hunched over and stared at the table as the jury’s recommendations on each count were read. Rumbling grew out of the family section – filled with about three dozen parents, spouses and other relatives of the victims – as the life sentences were announced. Many shook their heads, looked angry or covered their eyes.
Cruz, 24, pleaded guilty a year ago to murdering 14 students and three staff members and injuring 17 others at Stoneman Douglas on Feb. 14, 2018. Cruz said he chose Valentine’s Day to prevent students from ever celebrating the holiday again.
