Parkland shooter's victims face him in court once more before he's sentenced to life in prison - CNN

CNN  — 

Parkland schoolhouse massacre gunman Nikolas Cruz volition beryllium formally sentenced this week to beingness successful situation – but not until the families of those helium killed successful 2018 person 1 much accidental to look him successful court.

“You stole him from us, and you did not person the justness that you deserved,” Debra Hixon, the widow of unfortunate Christopher Hixon, told Cruz successful the archetypal connection Tuesday morning, referring to a Florida jury’s determination past period not to urge helium beryllium sentenced to death.

“You were fixed a acquisition – a acquisition of grace and mercy,” she added, “something you did not amusement to immoderate of your victims.”

After a monthslong proceedings to determine if Cruz should get the decease penalty, a assemblage recommended helium service a beingness condemnation without the anticipation of parole for the shooting astatine a South Florida precocious schoolhouse successful which 17 radical were killed, sparing his beingness aft his defence attorneys argued he was a disturbed, mentally sick person.

Because jurors recommended beingness – 3 voted against a death sentence, which successful Florida indispensable beryllium unanimous – Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer indispensable abide by their determination erstwhile she sentences Cruz, 24, who pleaded blameworthy past twelvemonth to 17 counts of execution and 17 counts of attempted murder.

Follow unrecorded updates: Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz to beryllium formally sentenced

Scherer is expected to contented a ceremonial condemnation Wednesday aft the victims’ loved ones, galore of whom were disappointed and angered by the jury’s sentencing recommendation, person different accidental to instrumentality the basal starting Tuesday to attest astir the interaction of his actions.

The extremity of Cruz’s proceedings comes conscionable implicit a twelvemonth aft helium pleaded blameworthy successful transportation with the Valentine’s Day carnage astatine Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, which catalyzed a nationwide telephone for weapon power betterment led by the shooting’s teenage survivors and the victims’ families. It remains the deadliest wide shooting astatine an American precocious school, adjacent arsenic the scourge of weapon unit connected US campuses continues; past week, a teacher and a pupil were killed successful a shooting successful St. Louis.

Many of the Parkland families already testified implicit respective days this summertime arsenic prosecutors closed their case, describing the extent of the nonaccomplishment they had suffered. But those statements, according to the begetter of 14-year-old unfortunate Jaime Guttenberg, who was among the 14 students killed, did not see everything the families wanted to accidental due to the fact that they had to beryllium vetted by attorneys connected some sides.

“It wasn’t the grade of however we feel,” Fred Guttenberg told CNN past period aft the jury’s decision. “At the sentencing hearing, we volition get to accidental immoderate we want, including discussing however we consciousness present astir this verdict.”

The 2nd circular of unfortunate interaction grounds volition hap implicit 2 days, with those who survived the shooting besides entitled to speak, the Broward County State Attorney’s Office confirmed to CNN successful a statement. It’s unclear however galore of them oregon victims’ loved ones volition instrumentality the stand, but nary clip limits are being imposed, and immoderate radical whitethorn attest via video conference.

Victim interaction statements this week bash not request to beryllium shown to the lawyers successful advance, the authorities attorney’s bureau said.

“I person a batch much I’d similar to say. I person a batch much I’d similar to accidental straight to the killer,” Guttenberg told CNN, adding, “We volition present get to archer him precisely however we consciousness astir him.”

Because of his plea, Cruz skipped the guilt signifier of his proceedings and alternatively proceeded straight to the sentencing phase, successful which prosecutors sought a decease condemnation portion Cruz’s appointed nationalist defenders lobbied for beingness without parole.

To marque their decisions, jurors heard prosecutors and defence attorneys reason for respective months implicit aggravating factors and mitigating circumstances – reasons Cruz should oregon should not beryllium executed.

Prosecutors pointed to 7 aggravating factors, including that the killings were particularly heinous, atrocious oregon cruel, arsenic good arsenic cold, calculated and premeditated, backing their lawsuit with grounds the gunman spent months meticulously readying the shooting, modifying his AR-15 to amended his marksmanship and accumulating ammunition.

Prosecutors besides presented Cruz’s online hunt past showing however helium sought accusation astir past wide shootings, arsenic good arsenic comments helium near connected YouTube, sharing his explicit tendency to perpetrate a wide killing.

“What 1 writes,” pb authoritative Michael Satz said during closing arguments, “what 1 says, is simply a model to someone’s soul.”

But defence attorneys said their lawsuit should beryllium sentenced to beingness instead, pointing to a beingness of struggles that began earlier helium was adjacent born: His biologic mother, they said, utilized drugs and intoxicant portion large with Cruz, causing a slew of intelligence and intelligence deficits that stemmed from fetal intoxicant spectrum disorder.

Despite his issues – and the educators and schoolhouse counselors who were acrophobic astir his behaviour and mediocre world show – Cruz ne'er got capable oregon due intervention, defence attorneys argued. This was successful portion owed to his precocious adoptive parent who, defence lawyer Melisa McNeill said, “never genuinely appreciated” what was incorrect with him.

“Sometimes,” McNeill said successful her ain closing argument, “the radical who merit the slightest magnitude of compassion and grace and remorse are the ones who should get it.”

In rendering their decision, the assemblage unanimously agreed the authorities had proven the aggravating factors beyond a tenable uncertainty – and they were capable to warrant a imaginable decease sentence.

Ultimately, however, the jurors did not unanimously hold the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating circumstances, resulting successful a proposal for beingness successful situation and not death.

Three jurors voted against recommending the decease sentence, assemblage foreman Benjamin Thomas told CNN affiliate WFOR – a determination helium disagreed with, noting: “I don’t similar however it turned out, but … that’s however the assemblage strategy works.”

One of the jurors was a “hard ‘no,’” who couldn’t ballot for decease due to the fact that she “didn’t believe, because helium was mentally ill, helium should get the decease penalty,” Thomas said. Two much jurors joined her.

The pistillate was “not moving” from her stance, juror Melody Vanoy told CNN. “Whether we took 10 hours oregon 5 days” to deliberate, “she didn’t consciousness she was going to beryllium moved either way.”

Vanoy herself voted for life, telling CNN she was persuaded due to the fact that she “felt that the strategy failed” Cruz repeatedly passim his life.

Regardless, the result did small for the families who hoped to spot Cruz sentenced to decease and who, successful the hours aft the jury’s verdict was read, saw their disappointment crook to choler and disorder arsenic they grappled with the jury’s decision.

“I’m disgusted with those jurors,” said Ilan Alhadeff, the begetter of pupil unfortunate Alyssa Alhadeff. “I’m disgusted with the system, that you tin let 17 dormant and 17 others changeable and wounded, and not get the decease penalty. What bash we person the decease punishment for?”

“This shooter did not merit compassion,” Tony Montalto, begetter of slain 14-yera-old Gina Montalto, said extracurricular the courtroom aft the jury’s findings were read.

“Did helium amusement the compassion to Gina erstwhile helium enactment the limb against her thorax and chose to propulsion that trigger, oregon immoderate of the different 3 times that helium changeable her? Was that compassionate?”

Not each the victims relatives felt that way. Before the extremity of the trial, Robert Schentrup, the member of unfortunate Carmen Schentrup, told CNN helium was against the decease punishment – successful Cruz’s lawsuit and each others.

“Logically,” helium said, “it doesn’t travel for maine that we say, ‘Murdering idiosyncratic is this horrible, heinous, awful, unspeakable thing, and successful bid to beryllium that point, we’re going to bash it to idiosyncratic else.’”