Nikolas Cruz, the gunman responsible for the deaths of 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., has been sentenced to life in prison by a Florida jury.
The jury opted against the death penalty because Cruz suffered developmental delays as a result of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder.
The shooting occurred on Valentine’s Day 2018. Cruz was armed with a semiautomatic rifle and at least 300 rounds of ammunition. Charging into one of the school campus buildings, Cruz discharged over a hundred rounds as he stalked hallways and classrooms retracing his steps to ensure no one was left alive.
Some of the grieving families were deeply unhappy with the ruling. “This jury failed our families today,” said Fred Guttenberg, a father of one of the victims. “Seventeen families did not receive justice.”
Gena Hoyer, whose 15-year-old son was slain in the rampage, texted “I AM STUNNED,” upon hearing the jury’s decision to not seek the death penalty.
Tony Montalto, whose daughter Gina was also among the victims, called the decision “pretty unreal.” “The monster that killed them gets to live another day.”
In August 2022, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis suspended four members of Broward County’s school board following a grand jury investigation that concluded the district exhibit “clear evidence of incompetence, neglect of duty, misfeasance or malfeasance” surrounding school safety and maintenance.
Cruz was 19 at the time of the shooting and had asked for a life sentence without the possibility of parole “in order to dedicate his life to helping others.” Cruz pled guilty to 17 counts of murder as well as an additional 17 counts of attempted murder.
It is the country’s deadliest high school shooting.