Parkland School Shooter Nikolas Cruz Formally Sentenced to Life in Prison

By Rick Martin Nov 02 2022, 22:40 PM EDT

During a hearing last Wednesday, Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz formally received a life sentence without the chance of parole. He was responsible for killing 17 people in a school shooting in Parkland, Florida, though he narrowly missed getting the death penalty in an earlier hearing.

According to CNN, Cruz pleaded guilty last October to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. Cruz was the man responsible for shooting up Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, killing 14 students, as well as three members of the school staff. He also injured 17 others in his rampage across the Florida school.

Judge and Families Became Emotional When Nikolas Cruz's Sentences Were Read

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer formally pronounced Cruz's 34 consecutive life sentences one by one, one life sentence for each person he killed or injured.

The Associated Press noted that her voice broke when she read the first few sentences but gained strength and volume as she read the list further. She had no choice in the matter, as Florida law required a unanimous vote to grant the death penalty, but the jury only voted in favor of it 9-3.

Some of the parents of the children Cruz has slain wept as she read the sentences. One father even muttered "good riddance" before the families gathered together and hugged each other.

Families of Victims Confront Parkland School Shooter Nikolas Cruz

Before his sentences were formally read, the families of the people he killed got the chance to confront him in court. They spent two days verbally attacking Cruz to his face, letting off all their anger, frustration, and sadness toward the mass shooter while also mourning their fallen loved ones.

Many relatives wished Cruz a "painful demise," lamenting why he did not receive the death penalty. Meanwhile, others have stated that they do not wish to think of him ever again after leaving court.

"Real justice would be done if every family here were given a bullet and your AR-15 and we got to pick straws, and each one of us got to shoot one at a time at you, making sure that you felt every bit of it," said Linda Beigel Schulman. She is the mother of slain hero teacher Scott Beigel, whom Cruz shot in the back as he tried leading students into safety inside his classroom.

Beigel Schulman also warned Cruz about what to expect in prison. She told him, "From what I hear, child killers are highly frowned upon and hated in prison," and added that she welcomes the day she learns that he has been tortured and taken out in cold blood.

According to The Guardian, Jennifer Guttenberg, mother of victim Jaime Guttenberg, admonished Cruz for hiding his face behind a facemask. This prompted the school shooter to take it off and receive even more verbal lashing from the relatives.

While others were physically present to confront Cruz, others attended via Zoom. One of them, David Alhadeff, the uncle of Alyssa Alhadeff, told the shooter that he deserves "the opportunity to rot away."

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Parkland Victim's Father Michael Schulman Gives Final Statement Before Shooter's Sentencing - NBC 6 South Florida