As planned, Nikolas Cruz, the perpetrator of the largest massacre in Florida, was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of ever being released. Cruz cold-bloodedly murdered 17 people on February 14, 2018. Fourteen students and three teachers died that day.
The sentence was pronounced on Wednesday afternoon after two days in which the relatives of the victims used expressions such as “evil, cowardly, monster and subhuman.” Some asked to sentence him to death, something that could not be done because the jury was not unanimous in recommending the sentence.
Chained up and wearing a red prison uniform, Cruz watched Judge Elizabeth Scherer but showed no emotion as she sentenced him to 17 consecutive life sentences and one additional. He thus legally cannot enter any early clemency program.
Scherer had no choice. ANDThe jury voted 9-3 on October 13 to sentence him to life imprisonment. Florida law requires unanimity when imposing a death penalty.
Cruz acknowledged to the judge that he was on medication, but that he could understand what was happening.
The judge praised the families and the injured who testified, calling them strong, graceful and patient. “I know they’re going to be okay because they have each other,” Scherer said.
His voice cracked as he read the first of 34 life sentences, but it gained strength and volume as he delivered the sentence. Some parents and other family members cried as she read it.
“True justice would be done if every family here was given a bullet and their AR-15 and each of us could shoot him one at a time, making sure he felt everything,” said Linda Beigel Schulman, mother of teacher Scott Beigel. “That’s real justice for you.”
Beigel Schulman said she was comforted knowing Cruz is headed to a maximum-security prison where she will have to constantly worry about her own life for the rest of her days.
“From what I hear, child killers are very frowned upon and hated in prison,” he said. “I welcome the day I am told that you have been tortured and killed for your heinous cold-blooded, premeditated and calculated murders, because you deserve nothing less.”
David Alhadeff, Alyssa Alhadeff’s uncle, told Cruz via Zoom from his classroom in Maryland that he deserves “a chance to rot.”
“You deserve the opportunity to absorb the look of terror on your face once you leave this courtroom. You deserve the opportunity to know that justice will prevail at some point, causing you great anguish, minute by minute, day by day,” Alhadeff added.
