US: Parkland school mass shooter sentenced to life in prison without parole
On Wednesday, Nikolas Cruz, the gunman accused of the mass shooting in the US high school in Parkland, Florida back in 2018 which killed at least 17 students and the staff was formally sentenced to life in prison.
The 24-year-old Cruz, responsible for one of the deadliest mass shootings in US history was sentenced by Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer after hours of testimonies by the family members of the victims.
The former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland student had pleaded guilty to the attack last year following the defence’s argument that his mother’s use of drugs and alcohol had permanently damaged his brain. According to reports, Cruz had fired more than 140 shots from an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle for nearly seven minutes in the school.
The sentence is also after the jury could not unanimously vote last month if the gunman was 19 years old at the time of the attack and deserved the death penalty or not with a 9-3 vote on October 13. The judge had also agreed to the prosecutor’s request to allow the family members of the victims to speak in court before the sentence, many of whom criticised the state law which requires all 12 jurors to be unanimous for a convicted person to be executed.
“He has escaped this punishment because a minority of the jury was given the power to overturn the majority decision made by people who were able to see him for what he is…a remorseless monster who deserves no mercy,” said Meghan Petty, who lost her 14-year-old sister Alaina. This hearing marked the end of a trial that went on for more than four years.
Cruz barely spoke during the hearing and only addressed the judge when asked questions pertaining to the proceedings. During the two-day hearing, he sat wearing red prison overalls and handcuffs as well as a Covid-19 mask which he later removed when one of the victims’ mothers said it was disrespectful.
The judge did not interact with Cruz beyond what was required while calling the victims’ families and the wounded strong, graceful and patient. She added, “I know you are going to be OK because you have each other.”
(With inputs from agencies)
