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() –– The jury that will decide whether Nikolas Cruz, the shooter in the 2018 Parkland massacre, receives the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole reached a decision Thursday.
The verdict is expected to be read at 10:30 am Miami time.
On February 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz, who was 19 at the time, shot up inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 17 people, including students and teachers. Cruz was a former student of that Florida high school, and had been expelled for unspecified disciplinary reasons.
During their deliberation process, the jury asked the court to reread the testimony of two witnesses: Dr. Paul Connor, an expert in fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and Dr. Robert Denney, a clinical neuropsychologist. Jurors first asked for Dr. Denney’s statements, but he was a rebuttal witness. And Dr. Connor testified first.
On September 12 and 13, Connor said Cruz suffered from FASD, as well as deficiencies in IQ, motor skills, executive functioning and memory.
For his part, Denney testified as a rebuttal witness on October 3 and 4. In his statements, he pointed out that Cruz did not have said disorder, but rather an antisocial personality disorder and a borderline personality disorder. Shortly after asking for Denney’s testimony, the jury informed the judge that they no longer needed to reread it.
Guilty: Nikolas Cruz accepted 17 counts of murder
Nearly a year ago, on October 20, 2021, Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder, in what is considered the deadliest high school shooting in US history. His guilty plea came more than three and a half years after the massacre, which scarred a community and sparked a massive national protest movement against gun violence in American schools.
“I am very sorry for what I did, I have to live with it every day,” Cruz said at the time, visibly moved. “And if I had a second chance, I would do everything in my power to try to help others. And I’m doing this for you. And I don’t care if you believe me, I love you and I know you don’t believe me, but I have to live with this every day.”
Cruz said he has nightmares at night “and sometimes I can’t live with myself.” And he added that he “tries to move on because I know that’s what you guys would want me to do.”
Cruz’s defense team had earlier offered a guilty plea in exchange for life in prison without the possibility of parole, but only if prosecutors eliminated the possibility of the death penalty. Something that prosecutors rejected.
