Parkland live updates: Victim’s grandma tells gunman to ‘burn in hell’ - ABC News

Meghan Petty, sister of 14-year-old unfortunate Alaina Petty, said she feels “betrayed by our justness system” with the assemblage rejecting the decease penalty, and feels susceptible sharing her symptom with the public.

Alaina was changeable aggregate times, including done the heart, she said. Alaina died frightened connected a schoolroom floor, trying to fell down a desk, she said.

“This full ordeal has pushed maine to my emotional, carnal and intelligence limits. It volition proceed to bash truthful for the remainder of my life, adjacent much truthful present that helium has escaped being punished to the fullest grade of the law,” Petty said.

She called Nikolas Cruz a “remorseless monster who deserves nary mercy.”

“This unthinkable acheronian that helium has wrong him -- which has been labeled present arsenic intelligence unwellness -- is thing that should beryllium considered unacceptable and intolerable,” Petty said. But she said his beingness condemnation sends the connection to aboriginal shooters that “if 1 stretches the truth, they tin get distant with not lone murder, but wide murder.”

“What we’ve been told present is 17 lives are worthy thing if you tin marque capable excuses for your actions,” she said.

Petty noted that she and Cruz are the aforesaid age.

“I could beryllium present and complain, arsenic helium has, that I’ve had a hard life. I was bullied successful school. I’ve mislaid 15 household members and loved ones since I turned 9 to sickness, suicide, mishap and present murder. Not erstwhile person I turned to ever hurting others … due to the fact that I’m not a coward and I’m not weak,” she said.

"I volition ne'er get to accidental goodbye to her," she said of her sister. "She's ne'er going to spell to college, get a job, get joined ... oregon adjacent respire again. But he'll beryllium capable to gully breath."

On the time of the shooting, Ines Hixon, daughter-in-law of slain manager Chris Hixon, was deployed connected a U.S. craft bearer disconnected the seashore of Iran.

“He would’ve fixed the garment disconnected his back. He was a courageous, loving and fantastic man. And I ne'er got the accidental to archer him that,” she said done tears.

“As a work member, I took an oath to support the Constitution of the United States against each enemies overseas and domestic. And to the defendant, that’s precisely what I presumption you arsenic -- a home terrorist,” Ines Hixon said. “I privation nary bid for you. I privation thing but pain. And I anticipation that each enactment you take, you retrieve that’s a enactment you stole.”

After Ines Hixon spoke, Judge Elizabeth Scherer called her a “hero,” adding that her “beautiful family” has “made specified an content connected this court.”

“I convey you for your work and bravery,” the justice added.

Patricia Oliver, whose 17-year-old son, Joaquin, was among the victims, said successful an impassioned statement, if this lawsuit “doesn’t merit the decease penalty, what does?”

“You had successful your caput enjoyment,” she said straight to Nikolas Cruz. “Listen to me, suspect -- enjoyment portion sidesplitting my son, Joaquin Oliver, and coming backmost to him to stroke his encephalon out.”

“Your surviving hellhole is astir to get started,” she said. “Joaquin is simply a fable for what helium is and for what helium volition be. Nice, kind, humble. And you volition retrieve each azygous time of your beingness astir what Joaquin is.”

Bree Wikander was flooded with emotion arsenic she spoke connected behalf of her son, Ben, who was changeable 3 times, including successful the back. Ben was 17 astatine the clip and suffered extended injuries.

“One of Ben’s trauma surgeons … erstwhile said to us, Ben sustained injuries akin to what a worker would successful combat,” she said.

“To this time helium is inactive recovering,” Bree Wikander said. “You volition ne'er recognize the symptom that helium has gone through. His beingness and the lives of our full household person changed everlastingly some physically and mentally.”

Ben’s father, Eric Wikander, said helium hopes Cruz has a “painful existence” successful prison, adding that it would inactive beryllium “a fraction of what Ben endured.”