Nikolas Cruz has been given a life sentence in prison without the possibility of parole for the shooting at Florida‘s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018.
Nikolas Cruz’s fate was decided after a protracted trial, and the decision is not an official sentence.
On November 1, however, Judge Elizabeth Scherer is expected to deliver the gunman’s just punishment.
According to reports, the families of the gunman’s victims bowed their heads as the verdict forms for each of the 17 people he killed were read in court Thursday morning.
Parkland shooting resulted in the deaths of 17 people
The Parkland shooting suspect, now 24 years old, pleaded guilty in October of last year to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.
The incident resulted in the deaths of 14 students, three members of the school staff.
The shooter’s defense lawyer defended Cruz and claimed that Cruz’s neurodevelopmental disorders were caused by his birth mother’s drug and alcohol use during her pregnancy.
At least 17 people, both adults and children, were killed in the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018.
Following the attack, many people, mostly students, rallied in support of stricter gun control laws at “March for Our Lives” demonstrations held across the United States.