Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz tugs at his shirt collar as he is seated at defence table for verdict in his trial at Broward County Courthouse in Florida.
A US jury has spared Nikolas Cruz from the death penalty for killing 17 people in a Florida high school, sending him to prison for the remainder of his life in a decision that left many families of the victims angered, baffled and in tears.
The jury rejected the death penalty in the 2018 Parkland school shooting case after deliberating for about seven hours over two days.
Cruz, 24, pleaded guilty a year ago to murdering 14 students and three staff members and wounding 17 others, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14.
The three-month trial to determine whether he should be executed included graphic videos and photos from the massacre and its aftermath, heart-wrenching testimony from victims’ family members and a tour of the still blood-spattered building.
His lead public defender, Melisa McNeill, told the jury during her closing argument on Tuesday that life in prison would still be a horrible punishment and suggested that other prisoners might target him.
But that wasn't enough for many family members, who went before TV cameras, one by one, to express their shock and anger at the jury's decision. Some called Cruz a "monster," while others cried.
"This is insane. Everyone knows right? This is insane," Chen Wang, cousin of shooting victim Peter Wang, said at a news conference after the jury's decision was read. "We need justice."
"We are beyond disappointed with the outcome today," Lori Alhadeff, whose daughter, Alyssa, was killed, said at the news conference.
"This should have been the death penalty, 100 percent. ... I sent my daughter to school and she was shot eight times. ... I cannot understand. I just don’t understand."
READ MORE: US Parkland school shooter set to face death penalty at sentencing trial
It’s rare to get a death penalty verdict in South Florida. I respect the jury’s decision in the Nikolas Cruz case, but if the death penalty doesn’t apply to the slaughter of 17 innocents — nearly all children — then when?
— Dave Aronberg (@aronberg) October 13, 2022
Debate on gun control
Under Florida law, a death sentence requires a unanimous vote on at least one count.
The jury found there were aggravating factors to warrant the death penalty for each victim, such as agreeing that the murders were "especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel."
But one or more jurors also found mitigating factors, such as untreated issues he had as a child. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer will formally issue the life sentences on November 1.
The Parkland shooting stunned the nation and reignited the debate on gun control since Cruz had legally purchased the gun he used despite his mental health issues.
On March 24, 2018, nationwide marches inspired by school shooting survivors and parents of victims brought together 1.5 million people — the largest public turnout ever in defence of stricter gun control laws in America.
But the Parkland attack prompted no significant reform by Congress and gun sales have continued to rise.
Thousands turned out following two other recent mass shootings: one at a Texas elementary school that killed 19 young children and two teachers, and another at a New York supermarket that left 10 Black people dead.
Those shootings helped galvanise support for the first significant bill on gun safety in decades, which President Joe Biden signed into law in June. But the measure fell far short of an assault weapons ban sought by Biden.
In March, the Justice Department reached a $127.5 million settlement with survivors and relatives of Parkland victims who had accused the FBI of negligence for failing to act on tips received prior to the attack that Cruz was dangerous.
READ MORE: Florida lawmakers pass gun-school safety bill three weeks after massacre
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