Parkland shooting

Jurors determined Thursday that Nikolas Cruz should be sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for a 2018 school shooting in Parkland, ...

Cruz, who at the time of the shooting was 19 and had been expelled from the high school, had apologized for his crimes and asked to be given a life sentence without the possibility of parole in order to dedicate his life to helping others. Cruz, 24, had pleaded guilty last year to premeditated murder at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com

Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty a year ago to killing 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school.

This decision only makes it more likely that the next mass shooting will be attempted.” Two Stoneman Douglas students later killed themselves, one a close friend of one of the victims. [He] pressed the barrel of his weapon to my daughter’s chest, that doesn’t outweigh that what’s-his-name had a tough upbringing? My beautiful Gina, the other sons, daughters, spouses and fathers, they were the victims here. Others were in tears and hugged each other as the verdicts were read. “Society has to re-examine who and what is a victim.

Parkland verdict - live: Nikolas Cruz sentenced to life in prison, avoiding death penalty for school shooting · Verdict in sentencing phase of Parkland shooter's ...

Following a three-month long trial, Cruz avoided the death penalty after a jury ruled he should be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Jurors have recommended that Nikolas Cruz, the gunman who murdered 14 students and three members of staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2014, should serve life in prison without the possibility of parole. Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz’s defence at his sentencing trial centred largely around his early life - from his apparent exposure to alcohol in the womb, the deaths of his adoptive parents and his behavioural and emotional problems. Chris Hixon was murdered along with 16 other people in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine’s Day 2018. “What a load of hogwash. [Terms of use,](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/user-policies-a6184151.html) [Cookie policy](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/cookie-policy-a6184186.html) and [Privacy notice.](https://www.independent.co.uk/service/privacy-policy-a6184181.html) [Watch as Nikolas Cruz sentenced to life in prison for Parkland school shooting](https://www.independent.co.uk/tv/news/life-shooting-prison-parkland-nikolas-cruz-b2202263.html) But did those details make a difference in the jury’s decision? [Parkland](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/parkland) school shooter [Nikolas Cruz](https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/nikolas-cruz) refused to share his reaction to his life sentence verdict. [Nikolas Cruz defence refuses to share his reaction to life sentence verdict](https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/crime/nikolas-cruz-reaction-verdict-trial-b2202367.html) “What a load of hogwash,” Ilan Alhadeff, the father of victim Alyssa Alhadeff, said. He’s an animal.”

Fourteen students and three staff members were killed in the rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine's Day in 2018.

Cruz's rampage is the deadliest mass shooting to go to trial in the U.S., according to The Associated Press. A previous version of this story said Cruz has been sentenced to life in prison. Late that day, the jury asked to see the murder weapon. "You now know that Nikolas is a brain-damaged, broken, mentally-ill person, through no fault of his own," Cruz's lawyer, Melissa McNeil, stated in closing arguments. Prosecutors had pushed for the death sentence. "That you can allow 17 dead and 17 others shot and wounded and not give the death penalty. Following the jury's recommendation, prosecutors requested that those who were victims of Cruz be allowed to present testimony about the crime and what they see as the appropriate sentence. The jury unanimously found that there had been aggravating factors in the murders Cruz committed. The question facing jurors now was whether Cruz would spend the rest of his life in prison or be sentenced to death. You set a precedent for the next mass killing, that nothing happens to you. He entered a school building through an unlocked side door and used an AR-15-style rifle to kill 14 students and three staff members, as well as wound 17 others. Cruz carried out the massacre on Valentine's Day in 2018.

A 12-member jury has voted not to give the death penalty to the gunman responsible for the Parkland shooting; The jury recommended life imprisonment without ...

The sentence caps an emotional three-month trial in which victim relatives and survivors recounted the 2018 Valentine's Day massacre in painful detail.

The death penalty was on the table, but the jury would've had to reach that decision unanimously.

He will be in the custody of the Broward County Sherriff's Office until then. What's next: Cruz will be officially sentenced to life without parole on Nov. 17 people were brutally murdered," said Lori Alhadeff, whose 14-year-old daughter, Alyssa Alhadeff, was murdered in the shooting. I'm devastated. I'm disgusted with those jurors. - "I'm disgusted with our legal system.

The gunman who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, has been spared the death penalty.

In one video, taken days before the shooting, the gunman said he planned to be the "next school shooter" of the year and that his goal was to murder at least 20 people. The gunman researched past mass killings, and posted online comments in which he said he would show "no mercy". The attack remains one of the deadliest school shootings in US history. "I pray that animal suffers every day of his life in jail," he said. It was the deadliest mass shooting case ever to reach a jury trial in the US. Tony Montalto - who lost his daughter, Gina, in the attack - shook his head repeatedly.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz stands with Assistant Public Defender Nawal Bashimam (L) and sentence mitigation specialist Kate O' ...

[jurors in August](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jury-nikolas-cruz-trial-tours-parkland-high-school-17-killed-rcna41765) visited the site of the massacre, where nothing had been changed from that deadly day more than four years ago, except for the removal of the victims' bodies and some personal items. [ witnesses who recalled seeing students and staff members die](https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-b46046e051d58521d225c29d55d93565) and argue that the gunman had displayed racist and misogynistic behavior online prior to the massacre. In the trial, forensic psychiatrist Dr. The jury had to reach a unanimous decision for the death sentence. The jury recommended life without the possibility for parole in all cases. This should have been the death penalty 100%" [The defense argued that his birth mother's alcohol abuse during her pregnancy ](https://apnews.com/article/shootings-education-florida-fort-lauderdale-parkland-school-shooting-418ced4a1484404aca34cdb728c0d167)led to his erratic and violent behavior. You will never forget voting for life." "I am disgusted with our legal system. I am disgusted with those jurors," he said. A sentencing hearing was set for Nov. I just don't understand this," she said.

Jurors on Thursday recommended life in prison without parole for Nikolas Cruz, who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The massacre is the deadliest mass shooting that has gone to trial in the United States, according to the Associated Press. McNeill urged jurors to consider Cruz’s history of mental illness in rendering their decision, and argued that Cruz should be given a life sentence instead of the death penalty. “It is the right thing to do,” McNeill said of a life sentence. During that hearing, survivors of the shooting will get a chance to share their views on the verdict. [Jurors recommend life sentence for Nikolas Cruz] [Jurors' decision comes more than four years after the Valentine’s Day shooting in Parkland, Florida — the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. Relatives, along with the students and teachers Cruz wounded, will be given the opportunity to speak at the sentencing hearing. She tapped the screen each time it went dark, looking at him as she awaited the verdict. "This should have been the death penalty, 100%," said Alyssa's mother, Lori Alhadeff. I'm disgusted with the system," he said. The 12-person jury came to a decision after seven hours of deliberations over two days, ending a three-month trial where stories of the victims' execution were retold in graphic detail. The eventual verdict was worse.] Prosecutors had sought the death penalty for Cruz.

The court was packed, but you could have heard a pin drop as victims waited for a verdict in the sentencing trial of the Parkland school shooter.

"And I could not be more disappointed in what happened today." Their son Luke was the very first name read in court. That's because most attackers are either killed by law enforcement in the course of their rampage or take their own lives in its immediate aftermath. When the judge read the verdict aloud, many observers were confused about what the result was because of the complex legal language. In turn, those 22 jurors heard more than three months of testimony. The gunman had said he watched his head explode like a water balloon. On each count, jurors acknowledged the crime that had been committed as well as how its brutal and premeditated nature warranted a death sentence for the gunman. I can't believe they gave a cold-blooded killer more mercy than the 17 victims he killed," Mrs Hoyer said. One woman screamed "shut it off" as loud gunfire was heard in audio footage. That was not the case here. A new youth movement demanding stricter gun laws, led by the school's students, kept the topic top of mind for weeks, if not months. "It's been a bad day.

The gunman who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, has been spared the death penalty. A jury recommended that the ...

In one video, taken days before the shooting, the gunman said he planned to be the "next school shooter" of the year and that his goal was to murder at least 20 people. The gunman researched past mass killings, and posted online comments in which he said he would show "no mercy". The attack remains one of the deadliest school shootings in US history. "I pray that animal suffers every day of his life in jail," he said. It was the deadliest mass shooting case ever to reach a jury trial in the US. Tony Montalto - who lost his daughter, Gina, in the attack - shook his head repeatedly.

The court was packed, but you could have heard a pin drop as victims waited for a verdict in the sentencing trial of the Parkland school shooter.

"And I could not be more disappointed in what happened today." Their son Luke was the very first name read in court. That's because most attackers are either killed by law enforcement in the course of their rampage or take their own lives in its immediate aftermath. When the judge read the verdict aloud, many observers were confused about what the result was because of the complex legal language. In turn, those 22 jurors heard more than three months of testimony. The gunman had said he watched his head explode like a water balloon. On each count, jurors acknowledged the crime that had been committed as well as how its brutal and premeditated nature warranted a death sentence for the gunman. I can't believe they gave a cold-blooded killer more mercy than the 17 victims he killed," Mrs Hoyer said. One woman screamed "shut it off" as loud gunfire was heard in audio footage. That was not the case here. A new youth movement demanding stricter gun laws, led by the school's students, kept the topic top of mind for weeks, if not months. "It's been a bad day.

The jury foreman said three of the jurors ultimately voted for life in prison, with one of them being a "hard no" on the death penalty and another two ...

And that's due in part to the change of law and also just the change in society. That's why we now have the unanimous verdict in Florida in death penalty." It shows you how hard it is to actually send somebody death here in the state of Florida now. "We can disagree with it. It is a moral decision on their own; some of the jurors just felt that way." Trocino said he closely followed the sentencing trial over the months, and the jurors weighed what made the mass shooting worse versus what tempered it, known as aggravating factors and mitigating factors. "The last thing my son saw was the gunman aiming at him," he said. And that’s how we voted," he said. "He planned it for months." "We need justice." What is the purpose of it? This is insane," Chen Wang, cousin of shooting victim Peter Wang, said at a news conference after the jury’s decision was read.