Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz, 24, was on Wednesday sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Cruz was responsible for the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 that left 17 people dead.
Judge Elizabeth Scherer gave Cruz 17 life sentences along with an additional 17 for those he attempted to kill but ended up wounding, reports The Associated Press. Last month, a jury recommended a life sentence and not the death penalty for Cruz, angering many of the victims' families, CNN reports. "It is heartbreaking how any person who heard and saw all this did not give this killer the worst punishment possible," said Annika Dworet, mother of 17-year-old victim Nicholas Dworet.
The sentencing followed two days of victim testimonies, where many addressed Cruz directly. Linda Beigel Schulman, mother of victim Scott Beigel, a 35-year-old geography teacher, brutally denounced the gunman, saying, "Real justice would be done if every family here were given a bullet and your AR-15 ... and each one of us got to shoot one at a time at you." Cruz reportedly showed little emotion throughout the testimonies.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The gunman also heard from students, including survivor Samantha Fuentes, who said, "I'll never take my anger, pain, and suffering out on others because I am stronger than you. This entire community that stands behind me is stronger than you."
Judge Scherer also addressed those who gave testimonies, saying, "I know you are going to be OK, because you have each other."
-
What you need to know about last-minute travelThe Week Recommends You can book an awesome trip with a moment’s notice
-
Saudi Arabia could become an AI focal pointUnder the Radar A state-backed AI project hopes to rival China and the United States
-
Crossword: October 29, 2025The Week's daily crossword
-
France makes first arrests in Louvre jewels heistSpeed Read Two suspects were arrested in connection with the daytime theft of royal jewels from the museum
-
Trump pardons crypto titan who enriched familySpeed Read Binance founder Changpeng Zhao pleaded guilty in 2023 to enabling money laundering while CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange
-
Thieves nab French crown jewels from LouvreSpeed Read A gang of thieves stole 19th century royal jewels from the Paris museum’s Galerie d’Apollon
-
Arsonist who attacked Shapiro gets 25-50 yearsSpeed Read Cody Balmer broke into the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and tried to burn it down
-
Man charged over LA’s deadly Palisades Firespeed read 29-year-old Jonathan Rinderknecht has been arrested in connection with the fire that killed 12 people
-
4 dead in shooting, arson attack in Michigan churchSpeed Read A gunman drove a pickup truck into a Mormon church where he shot at congregants and then set the building on fire
-
3 officers killed in Pennsylvania shootingSpeed Read Police did not share the identities of the officers or the slain suspect, nor the motive or the focus of the still-active investigation
-
2 kids killed in shooting at Catholic school massSpeed Read 17 others were wounded during a morning mass at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis
