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The gunman who killed 17 radical astatine Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School was addressed straight by the families of his victims for the archetypal time.
Published Nov. 1, 2022Updated Nov. 2, 2022, 9:51 p.m. ET
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Brimming with rage, disappointment and grief, relatives of the 17 radical fatally changeable astatine a Florida precocious schoolhouse 4 years agone confronted the gunman astatine a charged two-day sentencing proceeding successful which they repeatedly denounced the transgression justness strategy for sparing his life.
For the archetypal clip since the 2018 wide shooting astatine Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School successful Parkland, Fla., parents, siblings and children of the victims spoke straight to Nikolas Cruz, the 24-year-old gunman. Prosecutors had sought the decease penalty, but past month, aft an affectional three-month trial, a assemblage recommended a condemnation of beingness successful prison without the anticipation of parole. The determination shocked victims’ families, who had endured the agonizing proceedings expecting that it would pb to superior punishment.
On Wednesday, Judge Elizabeth A. Scherer sentenced Mr. Cruz to 34 consecutive beingness presumption successful prison, 1 for each of the 17 radical helium killed and the 17 radical helium injured.
In remarks to the court, the families of victims wished Mr. Cruz a achy beingness successful situation and a achy death. Some discounted his defence lawyers’ arguments that his encephalon was damaged since commencement by his biologic mother’s drinking during pregnancy.
The speakers did not notation to him by name. And they offered nary words of mercy.
“I anticipation your each breathing infinitesimal present connected Earth is miserable,” Theresa Robinovitz, whose 14-year-old granddaughter, Alyssa Alhadeff, was killed, said connected Tuesday, “and you repent for your sins and pain successful hell.”
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She stood down a lectern facing Mr. Cruz, who sat adjacent to his lawyers clad successful a reddish inmate jumpsuit and a surgical mask, staring astatine each speaker. He did not code the tribunal himself. He apologized successful tribunal past twelvemonth erstwhile he pleaded guilty.
A beingness sentence, dissimilar a decease sentence, means that Mr. Cruz volition not instrumentality to tribunal for immoderate ineligible appeals. In a tacit acknowledgment of that finality, Debra Hixon, whose 49-year-old husband, Christopher Hixon, an diversion manager astatine the school, was killed, told Mr. Cruz connected Tuesday that she planned to ne'er deliberation of him again.
“After today, I don’t attraction what happens to you,” she said. “You’ll beryllium a number, and, for me, you volition cease to exist. You person taken capable from maine and my family.”
A fewer of the speakers urged authorities lawmakers to nary longer require a unanimous jury to enforce superior punishment. Before 2016, Florida was 1 of lone 3 states that allowed juries to urge decease with a elemental 7-to-5 majority. That changed aft a bid of tribunal rulings, including 1 by the United States Supreme Court and another by the Florida Supreme Court. The unanimity request was signed into instrumentality successful 2017 by the politician astatine the time, Rick Scott, a Republican.
However, successful 2020, the state’s precocious court, which had shifted to the right, said that a unanimous proposal was nary longer needed. Lawmakers made nary changes to the law. Since past month’s beingness condemnation for Mr. Cruz, however, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, has said helium would similar the Legislature to revisit the law.
Tony Montalto, whose 14-year-old daughter, Gina Montalto, was killed, urged lawmakers to let a elemental bulk oregon a supermajority assemblage ballot for death.
“This would beryllium much just to the victims,” helium said.
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Max Schachter, whose 14-year-old son, Alex Schachter, was killed, said helium would besides lobby for juries to beryllium allowed to see comments from victims’ relatives successful their deliberations. Over 4 days during the trial, relatives spoke successful profoundly idiosyncratic terms astir however losing their loved ones shattered their lives. But the justice had to archer the jurors that those statements could not beryllium considered arsenic grounds successful reaching their verdict.
“It’s not right,” Mr. Schachter said, “and I volition enactment to hole this injustice for the adjacent family.”
Also killed in the shooting were Scott Beigel, 35; Martin Duque, 14; Nicholas Dworet, 17; Aaron Feis, 37; Jaime Guttenberg, 14; Luke Hoyer, 15; Cara Loughran, 14; Joaquin Oliver, 17; Alaina Petty, 14; Meadow Pollack, 18; Helena Ramsay, 17; Carmen Schentrup, 16, and Peter Wang, 15. Seventeen different radical besides suffered gunshot wounds.
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Many of the speakers indicated that the assemblage of 7 men and 5 women had failed them. Interviews with jurors aft they made their proposal past period revealed that 1 said during the deliberations that she could not enforce a decease condemnation connected idiosyncratic she considered to beryllium mentally ill. Two different jurors besides voted for life, resulting successful a 9-3 ballot successful favour of the decease penalty.
Several speakers besides denounced Mr. Cruz’s defence lawyers, who are nationalist defenders. Patricia Oliver, Joaquin Oliver’s mother, accused them of “shameful, despicable behavior.”
Melisa McNeill, the adjunct nationalist defender successful complaint of the case, objected, arguing that comments astir jurors and defence lawyers and their families were retired of enactment and that the Constitution affords a defence for the accused.
“I did my job, and each subordinate of this squad did our job, and we should not personally beryllium attacked for that,” she said.
Later, Gordon Weekes, the main nationalist defender successful Broward County, implored Judge Scherer to inquire prosecutors and victims’ families to tamp down their rhetoric, alluding to the rash of governmental violence astir the country.
That prompted a fiery effect from 1 of the prosecutors and from the judge, who repeatedly clashed with defence lawyers passim the trial.
Stacey Lippel, a teacher who was injured by Mr. Cruz during the rampage, told him the representation of him pointing his assault-style firearm astatine her would beryllium “ingrained successful my encephalon forever.”
“Because of you, I cheque for each exits wherever I am,” she said. “Because of you, I deliberation of the worst-case script for myself and my family. Because of you, I volition ne'er consciousness harmless again.”
Lori Alhadeff, whose daughter, Alyssa, was changeable 8 times, said connected Wednesday that she would person taken the 8 bullets herself to prevention her daughter’s life.
“She deserved truthful overmuch much clip present connected Earth,” Ms. Alhadeff said, going connected to picture seeing Alyssa’s assemblage for the archetypal clip aft it had been removed from the devastated country of the crime.
“I tried to lukewarm her assemblage with my hand,” Ms. Alhadeff said. “She was truthful cold.”
Nick Madigan contributed reporting.
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