A Florida judge has sentenced the suspect in the Parkland school shooting massacre to life in prison without parole over the incident where he killed 17 people.
On Wednesday, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer formally sentenced the suspect, Nikolas Cruz, for the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. While the judge formally handed down the life sentence, Cruz sat silently in the courtroom.
Parkland School Shooter
The 24-year-old shooter will be transferred to federal prison, where he will remain until his death. The formal sentencing of the individual came a day after family members of the victims of the massacre finally had a chance to directly address Nikolas Cruz in Court, expressing their grief and anger.
Many of the Parkland school shooting victims' family members wished Cruz a painful death and said that they had hoped he would be raped or killed in prison. Max Schachter, whose 14-year-old son Alex Schachter was killed in the massacre, said on Tuesday that Nikolas Cruz had no redeemable value, referring to the shooter as a "creature," as per Yahoo News.
Schachter said that he hoped other prisoners where Cruz would be imprisoned would inflict pain upon him, 17 times over until he was screaming for mercy like his victims. Eric Wikander, whose son, Ben Wikander, underwent seven surgeries to repair his wounds, said that he wanted Cruz to endure a painful existence in his remaining days.
Another family member, Debra Hixon, whose husband, athletic director Chris Hixon, was killed in the shooting, said that Nikolas Cruz stole her loved one from her. She added that the suspect did not receive the justice that he deserved.
According to Reuters, the life sentence handed down to the 24-year-old suspect comes after a jury voted last month to spare him the death penalty. Last year, Cruz pleaded to premeditated murder for his mass shooting on Feb. 14, 2018, and faced a three-month penalty trial earlier this year.
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Nikolas Cruz Receives Life Sentence Without Parole
Annika Dworet, whose son, 17-year-old Nicholas Dworet was among the victims, questioned the law, saying how much worse should a crime has to be to warrant the death penalty. Several relatives of the Parkland school shooting victims also chided Cruz's defense lawyers, who fruitlessly objected to the judge about the criticism of them and the jurors on Tuesday. They noted that the suspect had a constitutional right to legal representation.
Many of the victims' family members addressed Cruz directly in the courtroom as he sat inscrutably behind large spectacles while wearing a face mask, red prison overalls, and handcuffs. The suspect removed his mask when the mother of one of the victims told him keeping it on was disrespectful.
Under Florida law, the suspect will not be able to financially benefit in any way from the crimes that he committed. Furthermore, Judge Scherer garnished his commissary funds until all costs and restitution were paid.
Before the judge handed out the Parkland school shooting suspect's sentence, she thanked the victims' family members for "the privilege of learning about each and every one of your loved ones." She told them that the victims will not be forgotten, CNN reported.
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