www.miamiherald.com Open in urlscan Pro
23.32.243.2 Public Scan

Back to summary

Submitted URL:
https://apple.news/A_Bva1Nm3Shq6U9xkKPqvJg?articleList=ApKbCCwvcRmCSXGsLc-KPjg
Effective URL:
https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/crime/article267195912.html
Submission: On October 15 via api (October 15th 2022, 12:05:44 am UTC) from US — Scanned from DE

Form analysis
3 forms found in the DOM

/search/

<form id="search-icon" action="/search/" role="search" class="search row h-phone"><label for="flag-search-input"><svg width="17" height="17" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg">
      <path
        d="m16.768 14.699-3.31-3.31a.796.796 0 0 0-.565-.233h-.541a6.872 6.872 0 0 0 1.46-4.25A6.905 6.905 0 0 0 6.907 0 6.905 6.905 0 0 0 0 6.906a6.905 6.905 0 0 0 6.906 6.907 6.872 6.872 0 0 0 4.25-1.461v.54c0 .213.083.416.233.565l3.31 3.31a.794.794 0 0 0 1.126 0l.94-.94a.8.8 0 0 0 .003-1.128Zm-9.862-3.543c-2.347 0-4.25-1.899-4.25-4.25 0-2.347 1.9-4.25 4.25-4.25 2.348 0 4.25 1.9 4.25 4.25 0 2.348-1.899 4.25-4.25 4.25Z">
      </path>
    </svg></label> <input id="flag-search-input" type="text" name="q" placeholder=" " aria-label="Search Kansas City Star" tabindex="0" class="search-field"></form>

/search/

<form tabindex="-1" action="/search/" role="search" class="site-search-id flex"><input id="nav-menu-search-bar" type="text" name="q" placeholder="Search" aria-label="Search Miami Herald" tabindex="0"> <button type="submit" aria-label="Search"
    tabindex="-1"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512">
      <path
        d="M190.5 66.9l22.2-22.2c9.4-9.4 24.6-9.4 33.9 0L441 239c9.4 9.4 9.4 24.6 0 33.9L246.6 467.3c-9.4 9.4-24.6 9.4-33.9 0l-22.2-22.2c-9.5-9.5-9.3-25 .4-34.3L311.4 296H24c-13.3 0-24-10.7-24-24v-32c0-13.3 10.7-24 24-24h287.4L190.9 101.2c-9.8-9.3-10-24.8-.4-34.3z">
      </path>
    </svg></button></form>

<form class="vjs-sharing__link"><textarea cols="30" aria-label="Video embed code" class="overlay-embed-share"></textarea>
  <div class="vjs-input__wrapper"><input type="text" readonly="readonly" aria-label="Video share link" class="mi-share-link"></div> <button type="button">COPY LINK</button>
</form>

Text Content

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website.
Learn more
Allow cookies

UNLIMITED ACCESS TO ALL YOUR NEWS

$1 for 1 month

Get this exclusive offer now

CLAIM NOW
MAYBE LATER

Cancel anytime.

JURY RECOMMENDS LIFE SENTENCE IN PARKLAND MASS SHOOTING CASE | MIAMI HERALD

Saturday, October 15, 2022

Today's eEdition

81°F 85° 74°
News
Sports
Business
Politics
Opinion
•
Food & Drink
Environment
Personal Finance
Public Notices
Obituaries
Acceso USA
Close navigation panel SECTIONS
Search

Home
Customer Service
About Us
Account Management
Archives
Contact Us
Customer Service
Subscribe
Manage Print Subscription
Advertise
Advertise with Us
Media Kit
Stay Connected
Mobile Apps & eReaders
Newsletters
RSS Feeds
Social Media
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
eEdition

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Condo Collapse
Investigations
Podcast
Personal Stories
Detour Travel
News
Local & State News
Miami-Dade
Broward
South Florida
Florida Keys
Florida
Crime
Curious305
Coronavirus
Education
Environment
Health Care
Immigration
Recalls
Weather
Nation & World
United States
Cuba
Haiti
Venezuela
Americas
Sports
Sports
Professional
Miami Dolphins
Miami Heat
Miami Marlins
Florida Panthers
Inter Miami
College
University of Miami
Florida International
University of Florida
Florida State University
Sports Columns
Barry Jackson
Greg Cote
Michelle Kaufman
More Sports
High School Sports
Wrestling & MMA
Tennis
Golf
Politics
Florida Politics
Naked Politics
Elections
Political News
Mic Check Miami
Business
Business
Real Estate News
Tourism & Cruises
Tech in Miami
Startup Pitch Competition
Business Monday
Personal Finance
Living & Entertainment
Miami Restaurants
La Ventanita Podcast
Performing Arts
Visual Arts
Celebrities
Entertainment
Dave Barry
Flashback Miami
Health & Fitness
Comics
Games & Puzzles
Horoscopes
Living
Detour
Opinion
All Opinion
Editorials
Op-Ed
Letters to the Editor
Submit a Letter
Meet the Editorial Board
Columnists
Andres Oppenheimer
Leonard Pitts Jr.
Fabiola Santiago
Carl Hiaasen
Obituaries
Obituaries
Obituaries in the News
Place an Obituary
Acceso USA

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sports Betting
All Sports Betting
Best Sportsbooks
Best Sports Betting Apps
Super Bowl Odds
Offers
BetMGM Bonus Code
Caesars Sportsbook Promo Code
FanDuel Promo Code
DraftKings Promo Code
Ohio Betting
Ohio Sportsbook Promos
Ohio Sports Betting Apps
BetMGM Ohio Bonus Code
Caesars Sportsbook Ohio Promo Code
New York Betting
NY Sportsbook Promos
BetMGM New York Bonus Code
Caesars Sportsbook New York Promo Code
DraftKings New York Promo Code
FanDuel New York Promo Code
Casinos
Best Online Casinos
Real Money Online Casinos
BetMGM Casino Bonus Code
WynnBet Casino Promo Code
New Jersey Online Casinos
Michigan Online Casinos

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Shopping/Reviews
Product Reviews
Health and Wellness
Software and Business
Reviews
Shopping

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sponsored Content
Paid Content by BrandPoint
Public Notices Classifieds Jobs

CRIME

‘JURORS LET US DOWN.’ PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTER TO GET LIFE IN PRISON, DEATH
PENALTY REJECTED

By David Ovalle and

Charles Rabin

Updated October 14, 2022 8:52 AM
*
*
*
* *
*
*
*

ORDER REPRINT →

JURY REJECTS DEATH PENALTY FOR PARKLAND SHOOTER NIKOLAS CRUZ

Nikolas Cruz, who murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in
Parkland, will spend the rest of his life in prison after a jury rejected the
death penalty on Oct. 13, 2022. By Pool video via AP
Up Next

×
Video Player is loading.
Play Video
Loaded: 0%

0:00
PauseSkip BackSkip Forward
Unmute

Captions
* captions settings, opens captions settings dialog
* captions off, selected

Current Time 0:00
/
Duration 1:41
Fullscreen

This is a modal window.

Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.

TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaque
Font Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge
StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional
Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall
Caps
Reset restore all settings to the default valuesDone
Close Modal Dialog

End of dialog window.

UP NEXT:

Jury rejects death penalty for Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz

COPY LINK

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PARKLAND VERDICT: NO DEATH PENALTY FOR NIKOLAS CRUZ

A Broward County jury rejected a death sentence for Parkland shooter Nikolas
Cruz for the 2018 shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High.

EXPAND ALL

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nikolas Cruz, who murdered 17 people at a Parkland high school in a mass
shooting that shocked the nation, will spend the rest of his life in prison
after a jury on Thursday rejected the death penalty.

The decision stunned and angered relatives of the 14 students and three
educators who were shot to death during the Feb. 14, 2018, rampage at Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High — the deadliest school shooting in Florida history.

They sat in disbelief inside the courtroom as a Broward circuit judge read a
lengthy verdict form for nearly an hour. Count by count, the judge read the
jury’s decision that the details of Cruz’s troubled life were enough to spare
him execution by the state of Florida.

Dr. Ilan Alhadeff, whose daughter Alyssa died in the massacre, appeared to curse
quietly when the judge read the verdict in her case. His wife, Lori, buried her
face in her hand.

“This should have been the death penalty 100 percent,” Lori Alhadeff told
reporters afterward. “I am so beyond disappointed and frustrated by this
outcome.”

Ilan Alhadeff said he was “disgusted” with the legal system and with the jurors.
“The jurors let us down,” he said.

Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer did not immediately sentence Cruz, after
prosecutors asked for a full sentencing hearing to allow the relatives of the
murdered victims to speak. That hearing was scheduled for Nov. 1.

“I hope that we as a community can respect the verdict that was rendered,
respect the process that was had and understand those jurors have spoken and as
a community, now begin the process of healing,” said Broward Public Defender
Gordon Weekes.

Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill, seated with Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School shooter Nikolas Cruz touches her hands to her head as the last of
the 17 verdicts were read in the penalty phase of Cruz’s trial at the Broward
County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. Cruz, who
pleaded guilty to 17 counts of premeditated murder in the 2018 shootings, is the
most lethal mass shooter to stand trial in the U.S. He was previously sentenced
to 17 consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for 17
additional counts of attempted murder for the students he injured that day. Amy
Beth Bennett South Florida Sun Sentinel

The former MSD student pleaded guilty last year to 17 counts of first-degree
murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.

The verdict capped a nearly three-month trial that forced relatives of murdered
victims, survivors of the carnage and the South Florida public to relive the
trauma of Florida’s deadliest school shooting.

READ MORE: What’s next for death penalty in Florida?

Cruz’s case was the deadliest mass shooting to go to a trial — most mass
shooters are killed by police officers, or take their own lives during their
attacks.

The few mass shooters who have gone to trial have seen differing results. A jury
rejected the death penalty for James Holmes, who killed 12 people at a movie
theater in Aurora, Colorado, in 2012 and is now serving a life sentence. A
federal jury handed down a death sentence for Dylann Roof, the white supremacist
who killed nine church worshipers in Charleston, South Carolina, in 2015.

Cruz’s rampage galvanized student activism. Parkland survivors pushed for gun
reform, with Florida’s Republican-dominated Legislature eventually passing a
bill that limited some firearm sales and creating a “red flag” law that allows
for the seizure of guns from mentally ill people.

The police response to the mass shooting — as has been the case in other school
shootings, such as the one earlier this year in Uvalde, Texas — was also heavily
criticized. Scot Peterson, the Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy assigned to the
school, was charged criminally over his failure to enter the freshman building
and confront Cruz.

Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony — appointed to replace Scott Israel by the
governor, in large part because of the agency’s response to the Parkland
shooting — said he was disappointed with the verdict.

“Despite the fact that the defendant slaughtered 17 innocent people without any
remorse, the jury chose to spare his life. I disagree with their verdict,” he
said. “In my opinion, every aspect of our criminal justice system collectively
failed the victims and their families. Today, the victims’ families were
re-victimized.”

READ MORE: White House says verdict ‘brought a measure of justice and
accountability’

The shooting also cast a harsh spotlight on how the education and mental-health
system handled Cruz’s years of troubling behavior at home and in schools.

Cruz’s penchant for impulsive outbursts and lashing out at fellow students
became a key theme at the long-awaited trial in Broward circuit court.

Over weeks of trial, which started on July 18, jurors heard the chilling details
about Cruz’s plans to become a notorious school shooter, stocking up on
ammunition and tactical gear before taking an Uber to the campus. Inside, he
took out his AR-15-style rifle and began mowing down students in hallways,
shooting into classrooms, and returning to finish off wounded victims, before
escaping among the fleeing crowd.

Gena Hoyer reacts as she awaits the verdict in the trial of Marjory Stoneman
Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in
Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. Hoyer’s son, Luke, was killed in the
2018 shootings. Amy Beth Bennett South Florida Sun Sentinel

The Broward Public Defender’s Office had sought to convince the jury that Cruz’s
savage killing spree was the end result of a lifetime of poorly treated
mental-health woes — arguing that brain damage was caused by his birth mother
drinking heavily while he was in the womb.

Jurors on Wednesday afternoon asked to listen to a reading of the earlier
cross-examination testimony of Paul Connor, an expert who had told them about
Cruz suffering from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder. The jury also asked to view
the AR-15-style rifle, which was rendered inoperable and given to them early
Thursday.

One juror was adamant against a death sentence, and two others joined in the
vote for life, Benjamin Thomas, the foreperson told Herald news partner
WFOR-CBS4. “There was one with a hard no — she couldn’t do it — and there was
another two that ended up voting the same way,” Thomas said.

One of the jurors who voted for life, in a letter to the judge, disputed
supposed chatter from other jurors that she had already made up her mind on the
sentence before the trial. “This allegation is untrue and I maintained my oath
to the court that I would be fair and unbiased,” she wrote. “The deliberations
were very tense and some jurors became extremely unhappy once I mentioned that I
would vote for life.”

FAMILIES SPEAK OUT AFTER VERDICT

One by one, angry family members addressed reporters after the verdict, calling
it unjust and arguing it set a terrible precedent and created a road map for
future mass shooters to avoid the death penalty.

Ryan Petty, whose 14-year-old daughter Alaina Petty was killed by Cruz, said he
couldn’t understand how a juror could conclude Cruz deserved life in prison and
not death.

“One juror either didn’t understand the facts in this case or was dishonest with
themselves,” Petty said, his voice trailing off. “He [Cruz] went back and shot
again and again. I’ve seen the video as part of the MSD commission. I’ll never
forget that video. We were hoping for justice. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it
today.”

READ MORE: What people are saying about the verdict on social media

Tony Montalto, who lost is 14-year-old daughter Gina in the shooting, said the
decision now puts more school children in jeopardy, because shooters no longer
have to worry about a death sentence.

“This shooter didn’t show compassion when he put the gun to Gina,” he said.
Asked what he’d say to those who don’t believe in the death penalty, Montalto
didn’t hesitate.

“Trade places with me and you’ll change your mind,” he said.

Max Schacter, whose 17-year-old son Alex was killed, said he couldn’t understand
how Cruz managed to avoid a death sentence.

“He did research. He planned this out. He lied to the Uber driver [who drove him
to the school]. He is a sociopath and he did this. He planned it out. It was
premeditated,” he said.

The shooting moved many of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas parents on a path they
never anticipated. Some have become advocates and are fighting locally and
nationally for gun safety measures. Others were appointed to safety commissions
or were elected to Broward County’s School Board. Several have created
nonprofits, such as Max Schacter’s Safe School for Alex.

Anne Ramsay, who lost her daughter Helena, 17, implored President Joe Biden to
enact gun laws and like the other families, she said she was baffled by the
jury’s decision.

“We had to listen to how he came back and finished off our loved ones,” she
said. “There is no reason in this country to have weapons of war in the
streets.”

Fred Guttenberg, who became a national voice for gun control measures after
losing his 14-year-old daughter Jaime in the massacre, said he looked at his
wife after the verdict and simply said, “shame.”

Linda Schulman spoke for many families when she said no one should feel any pity
for Cruz. Her son Scott Beigel, 35, was a geography teacher and cross country
running coach before he was gunned down by Cruz.

“He’s going to have to look over his shoulder every second the rest of his
life,” she said. “He should live in fear.”

1 of 21

SEE PHOTOS AS JURY RECOMMENDS LIFE FOR PARKLAND GUNMAN NIKOLAS CRUZ

Ilan and Lori Alhadeff, center, react as they hear that their daughter’s
murderer will not receive the death penalty as the verdicts are announced in the
trial of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooter Nikolas Cruz at the
Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday, Oct. 13, 2022. The
Alhadeff’s daughter, Alyssa, was killed in the 2018 shootings. Cruz, who plead
guilty to 17 counts of premeditated murder in the 2018 shootings, is the most
lethal mass shooter to stand trial in the U.S. He was previously sentenced to 17
consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole for 17 additional
counts of attempted murder for the students he injured that day. (Amy Beth
Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel via AP, Pool) Amy Beth Bennett South Florida
Sun Sentinel

This story was originally published October 13, 2022 9:22 AM.

www.miamiherald.com Open in urlscan Pro 23.32.243.2 Public Scan

Form analysis 3 forms found in the DOM

/search/

/search/

Text Content

www.miamiherald.com Open in urlscan Pro
23.32.243.2 Public Scan

Form analysis
3 forms found in the DOM