What happens next: Cruz’s sentencing date, when a judge will issue the formal sentence, is set for Nov. 1. Under Florida law, she cannot depart from the jury’s recommendation of life.
Our live coverage has ended. Read more about the verdict in the posts below.
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A jury recommended life without parole for the Parkland shooter. Here's what happened
From CNN staff
A Florida jury recommended Thursday that the man who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty last year to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in connection to the shooting. The jury had to decide whether to recommend Cruz be sentenced to death or jailed for life without the possibility of parole for each of the 17 counts.
Here’s what you need to know:
About the trial: Prosecutors and defense attorneys present evidence of aggravating factors and mitigating circumstances — reasons Cruz should or should not be put to death. The state argued the killings were especially heinous and calculated. It presented evidence showing the gunman spent months searching online for information about mass shootings and left behind social media comments sharing his expressed desire to “kill people.”
The public defenders asked the jury to spare his life, based on his troubled history, from being raised in a dysfunctional family to serious mental and developmental issues.
The jury’s recommendation: The jury recommended life in prison on all counts soon after they began their second day of deliberations. On each count, the jury found Cruz eligible for the death penalty based on aggravating circumstances – but did not unanimously find that those aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors. Benjamin Thomas, the foreperson, told CNN affiliate WFOR that three jurors voted against the death penalty.
Family reaction: All the family members who spoke to the media were furious about the verdict.
The parents of 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, said they were “disgusted” with the decision to recommend life in prison. Ilan Alhadeff said his family was “beyond disappointed with the outcome.”
Fred Guttenberg, the father of 14-year-old Jaime Guttenberg, said the Parkland massacre victims’ families were robbed of justice.
The family of another 15-year-old victim Peter Wang says they are shocked at the decision. “This monster killed 17 people, how can he live another day?,” Wang’s cousin Lin Chen said.
“If not now the death penalty, then when?” said Patricia Oliver, whose son was killed in the shooting.
What’s next: Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer set the sentencing date for Nov. 1. The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. ET.
Victims and family members are expected to speak before the sentence is delivered. Under Florida law, Judge Scherer cannot depart from the jury’s recommendation of life.
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Jury foreperson says 3 jurors voted against recommending death penalty for Parkland shooter
From CNN’s Kevin Conlon
Benjamin Thomas, the foreperson for the jury that recommended the Parkland school shooter be sentenced to life in prison, told CNN affiliate WFOR that three jurors voted against the death penalty.
“There was one with a hard ‘no,’ she couldn’t do it, and there was another two that ended up voting the same way,” said Thomas.
“(The hard no) didn’t believe because he was mentally ill he should get the death penalty.”
The jury returned identical answers on aggravating and mitigating circumstances for each of the 17 counts and the same findings and recommendation for every victim.
On each count, the jury found Cruz eligible for the death penalty based on aggravating circumstances – but did not unanimously find that those aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors.
We don’t know which exactly mitigating factors were in play in those discussions – but we do know which mitigating factors on Cruz’s life were presented at trial. The 41 factors were listed in the jury instructions and included factors such as “Nikolas Cruz was exposed to drugs in utero,” “Medicated throughout his childhood,” “Nikolas Cruz witnessed the death of his father,” “Nikolas Cruz has remorse” and “Nikolas Cruz pled guilty and accepted responsibility for his crimes.”
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"It's just a travesty of justice," says Alex Schachter's father
Max Schachter speaks at a press conference on Thursday, October 13.
(CNN)
The father of 14-year-old Parkland school shooting victim Alex Schachter said he and his wife were shocked and devastated that the shooter Nikolas Cruz avoided the death penalty following the jury’s decision on Thursday.
“Coming in here today, we thought we were going to get justice. We thought that finally the parkland murderer was going to be held accountable for his actions,” Max Schachter said, adding that the family thought Cruz would get the death penalty. “It’s so upsetting.”
“It’s just unbelievable, we’re shocked and we’re devastated,” he added. “It’s just a travesty of justice.”
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Alaina Petty's father: State proved beyond a reasonable doubt that Parkland shooter should be put to death
Ryan Petty speaks at a press conference on Thursday, October 13.
(CNN)
The father of a 14-year-old victim in the Parkland massacre was critical of the jury’s decision to recommend life without the possibility of parole for the shooter.
Ryan Petty, whose daughter Alaina was killed in the shooting, told reporters outside court that for a juror to decide to recommend a life sentence, they “either didn’t understand the facts in this case, or [were] dishonest with themselves when they signed up to become a juror, and would never have voted for the death penalty.”
Petty said the state’s attorneys did everything they needed to prove “beyond a reasonable doubt” that the death penalty was warranted.
“You cannot look at the facts of this case, look at the cruel and inhumane way the 17 victims were treated — that he went back and shot again those that were already down on the ground, I’ve seen the video” and conclude otherwise, Petty said.
Petty, who serves on the state State Board of Education, was also critical of the shooter’s defense. “The lack of empathy, and humanity shown to our families by this defense team — it’s indefensible,” he said.
Family members say 14-year-old Alaina Petty had been active in her church’s volunteer trips and the school’s ROTC program.
"It's important that we as a community respect" the jury's decision, public defender says
After a Florida jury recommended life without the possibility of parole on all counts against Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz, public defender Gordon Weekes said it’s important to respect the jury’s decision.
“It’s important that we as a community respect the jury’s verdict and recognize that the jury’s verdict is final,” he said Thursday at a press conference.
“This day is not a day of celebration, but a day of solemn acknowledgement, and a solemn opportunity to reflect on the healing that is necessary for this community — the healing of the trauma that occurred on Valentine’s Day, February the 14th, the healing of the loss of the families.”
He defended Cruz’s attorney, saying the team “appreciates, respects and understands” the loss of the victims’ families.
“With the greatest bit of sympathy, we attempted to prepare this case and present this case in the most professional and legal manner as we could,” he said.
Weekes declined to comment when he was asked if Cruz had a reaction to the decision today.
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"If not now the death penalty, then when?" Parkland shooting victim's family asks
Family members of Parkland school shooting victim Joaquin Oliver speak at a press conference on Thursday, October 13.
(CNN)
Parkland school shooting victim Joaquin Oliver’s family expressed shock and disgust after shooter Nikolas Cruz avoided the death penalty as a jury recommended life without the possibility of parole on all counts against him.
Oliver’s mother, Patricia, said the family was not expecting this decision and added that the families of victims and the entire community of Parkland and Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are suffering.
She asked why the shooter’s massacre that left 17 dead and inflicted trauma on the community does not deserve the death penalty.
“We are in a state where the death penalty is an option,” she said. “What’s that for? That’s my question.”
She added that she wants to reconcile with this post-decision reality and not let the shooter take more of their lives away from them.
“Now, we gotta keep going, and we gotta keep living. And we have to work our best to find our peace. We don’t want to let the defendant take more from us than he’s been taking during all this time,” she said. “This is something that we have to digest. we need to live with this new reality.”
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Helena Ramsay's mother: "The wrong verdict was given out today"
Anne Ramsay, center, speaks at a press conference on Thursday, October 13.
(CNN)
The mother of Helena Ramsay, a 17-year-old Marjory Stoneman senior who was killed in the Parkland massacre, made an impassioned plea for change and condemned the trial’s outcome outside court today.
“After spending months and months listening, and hearing testimonies, and looking at the murderer — his composure — I believe justice was not done,” Anne Ramsay said. “The wrong verdict was given out today.”
Ramsay made a call for national soul-searching — and alluded to policy change for guns and policing.
“There is no excuse in this country to have weapons of war on the streets, and if you do not get that, then something is wrong in this country,” Ramsay told reporters.
She also spoke passionately on the law enforcement response to the Parkland shooter and on police shootings of Black people in the US.
“There was one person with a gun on the school premises that day that my daughter died, and he did nothing to go into that building and to tackle that murderer,” Ramsay said, referring to the former school resource officer who was criticized in the wake of the massacre for failing to confront the shooter.
Teacher's parents say "no doubt" their son's killer should have received death penalty
Linda Beigel Schulman and Michael Schulman speak at a press conference on Thursday, October 13.
(CNN)
The parents of Marjory Stoneman geography teacher Scott Beigel, who was killed ushering students to safety in the Parkland school shooting, echoed the sentiment of other parents outside court today, saying the gunman should have been sentenced to death.
The mother said the state’s attorneys gave a “perfect” execution of the arguments against the gunman.
She stopped short of condemning the jurors personally for their decision to recommend life without the possibility of parole and acknowledged the process was likely traumatizing for them as well.
“It’s anger at the sentencing,” Linda said, and Scott’s father, Michael, interjected: “It’s anger at the system.”
Jury's decision is "unjust," Parkland victim's cousin says
Lin Chen speaks at a press conference on Thursday, October 13.
(CNN)
The family of 15-year-old Parkland massacre victim Peter Wang says they are “shocked” at the jury’s decision in the Parkland school shooting case.
“It’s just so unjust,” Wang’s cousin Lin Chen said. “We thought this was clear. This monster killed 17 people, how can he live another day?”
She spoke of how Wang’s mother is traumatized after the shooting.
“My aunt has changed forever … She cannot function normally. She cannot sleep, the constant insomnia. And we came here, thought that we could get a little comfort for my family but no, they just pushed them further,” Chen said.
The families of Parkland shooting victims “have to live knowing the fact that the murderer is in the jail every single day, breathing, eating and getting help by their lawyers,” Chen said. “What about the kids? What about the families? This is not about the shooter.”
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Widow of a Parkland victim: Jury's decision says the shooter's "life meant more than the 17 that were murdered"
Debra Hixon speaks at a press conference on Thursday, October 13.
(CNN)
After a Florida jury recommended Parkland school shooting gunman Nikolas Cruz be sentenced for life without parole, 49-year-old Chris Hixon’s widow said she was “completely devastated and shocked,” and questioned how the jury did not unanimously find that the aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors.
“What it says to me, what is says to my family, what it says to the other families is that his life meant more than the 17 that were murdered … and the thousands of people in that school and that community that are terrorized and traumatized every single day,” Debra Hixon said at a press conference Thursday.
“How do you say, ‘yes it’s cruel, that it was heinous, that it was planned and we all agree on that, but oh, he might have had a mental illness or he had trouble growing up,’” Hixon said.
Noting that she has a son with special needs, she said, “I have a son that checked … a lot of those boxes that the shooter did as well, and you know what? My son’s not a murderer. My son’s the sweetest person that you could ever meet.”
“Even if he didn’t [have a good upbringing] how does that outweigh cruel heinous planned? It doesn’t,” she added.
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Jaime Guttenberg's father says jury's life recommendation makes next mass shooting more likely
Fred Guttenberg speaks at a press conference on Thursday, October 13.
(CNN)
Fred Guttenberg, the father of 14-year-old Jaime Guttenberg, said the Parkland massacre victims’ families were robbed of justice by a jury’s recommendation to sentence the shooter life in prison rather than the death penalty.
“There are 17 victims that did not receive justice today,” Guttenberg said, addressing reporters outside court.
His daughter was the 16th of the 17th victims whose names were read aloud today. The jury’s recommendations for each count were read in the order the victims were shot.
"The system continues to fail us": 14-year-old victim's parents "disgusted" with jury's decision
The parents of Alyssa Alhadeff speak at a press conference on Thursday, October 13.
(CNN)
The parents of 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, who was among the 17 people killed in the Parkland massacre, said they were “disgusted” with the jury’s decision to recommend life in prison over the death penalty for the gunman.
Lori and Ilan Alhadeff spoke to reporters shortly after the recommendation was read in court.
Ilan said his family was “beyond disappointed with the outcome,” adding it “should have been the death penalty — 100%.”
Both parents questioned the purpose of the death penalty in Florida’s legal system if not for the case of a mass school shooter.
“What is the death penalty for?” Lori asked.
She also called on law enforcement to do more to prevent school shootings, and to act more aggressively to stop them.
The Alhadeffs said they will continue to work through their nonprofit, Make Schools Safe, to advocate for tougher school safety policies.
Ilan thanked the state for its prosecution of the Parkland gunman, while condemning the trial’s outcome.
“Alyssa Alhadeff was a loved and well respected member of our club and community,” Parkland Travel Soccer said on Facebook. “Alyssa will be greatly missed.”
Lori told HLN she dropped her daughter off at school the day of the shooting and said, “I love you.” When the mother heard about the attack, she hustled to school, but was too late.
“I knew at that point she was gone. I felt it in my heart,” she said.
Jury's decision is "another gut punch" for families, Parkland victim Gina Montalto's father says
Tony Montalto speaks at a press conference on Thursday, October 13.
(CNN)
After a Florida jury recommended that Parkland school shooting gunman Nikolas Cruz be sentenced for life without parole, 14-year-old Gina Montalto’s father, Tony, criticized the decision.
As the jury did not unanimously find that aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors, Montalto questioned how the jury thought that the mitigating factors made Cruz commit these “terrible” acts.
“It’s pretty unreal that nobody paid attention to the facts of this case,” he added. “I see my beautiful daughter’s face around our home, in my dreams. And I miss her very much.”
Then he read a prepared statement on behalf of Stand With Parkland, an advocacy group he presides over.
“While this sentence fails to punish the perpetrator to the fullest extent of the law, it will not stop our mission of the families that stand with Parkland to effect positive change at a federal, state and local level to prevent school shooting tragedies from shattering other American families,” he added.
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Jury found Cruz was eligible for death penalty, but didn't find aggravating factors outweighed mitigating ones
From CNN staff
Nikolas Cruz sits in court as verdicts are read during the penalty phase of his trial, on October 13.
The jury returned identical answers on aggravating and mitigating circumstances for each of the 17 counts and the same findings and recommendation for every victim.
On each count, the jury found Cruz eligible for the death penalty based on aggravating circumstances – but did not unanimously find that those aggravating factors outweighed the mitigating factors.
Because this had to be unanimous, that finding could have come from any number of jurors – even one.
We don’t know which exactly mitigating factors were in play in those discussions – but we do know which mitigating factors on Cruz’s life were presented at trial. The 41 factors were listed in the jury instructions, and included factors such as “Nikolas Cruz was exposed to drugs in utero,” “Medicated throughout his childhood,” “Nikolas Cruz witnessed the death of his father,” “Nikolas Cruz has remorse” and “Nikolas Cruz pled guilty and accepted responsibility for his crimes.”
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Parkland school shooter's sentencing hearing set for Nov. 1
(Pool)
After a Florida jury recommended that Nikolas Cruz, 24, be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the Parkland school shooting, Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer set the sentencing date for Nov. 1.
The hearing will begin at 9 a.m. ET. Victims and family members are expected to speak before the sentence is delivered.
Under Florida law, Judge Scherer cannot depart from the jury’s recommendation of life.
Cruz was tried for months for the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed, including 14 students and three school staff members. He had pleaded guilty.
Prosecutors had asked the jury to sentence the gunman, now 24, to death, arguing in part his crime was especially heinous or cruel. But without the unanimous jury recommendation required under Florida law, Cruz’s sentence defaults to life, which the gunman’s defense attorneys had argued for, contending Cruz suffered throughout his life from mental disorders and developmental delays.
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Parkland school shooter avoids the death penalty after jury recommends life in prison
Nikolas Cruz sits at the defense table during his trial on September 2 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Amy Beth Bennett/Pool/Getty Images/File
Nikolas Cruz will be sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the February 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where 17 people were killed, including 14 students and three school staff members.
A Florida jury recommended the sentence.
Cruz’s sentence comes after a monthslong trial to decide his fate. Prosecutors had asked the jury to sentence the gunman, now 24, to death, arguing in part his crime was especially heinous or cruel. But without the unanimous jury recommendation required under Florida law, Cruz’s sentence defaults to life, which the gunman’s defense attorneys had argued for, contending Cruz suffered throughout his life from mental disorders and developmental delays.
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Jurors are looking down or straight ahead while judge continues to read their recommendations
From CNN's Denise Royal
(Pool)
Jurors are looking down or straight ahead as their recommendations for the fate of Parkland massacre gunman Nikolas Cruz are read aloud in court.
None of the jurors are looking in the direction of the victims’ families, some of whom are visibly emotional. Cruz is sitting with his head down, showing no emotion.
The jury came to its decision on whether to sentence Cruz to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole this morning, soon after they began their second day of deliberations.
The jury has recommended life in prison on the initial counts against the Parkland massacre gunman. Their recommendation is still being read.
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Cruz is showing no emotion as the jury's recommendation is read in court
From CNN's Denise Royal
(Pool)
Nikolas Cruz is sitting with his head down, showing no emotion, as the jury’s recommendation is read in court.
The jury has recommended life in prison on the initial counts against the Parkland massacre gunman. Their recommendation is still being read.
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Some parents of Parkland shooting victims are crying in the courtroom as others hold each other's hands
From CNN's Denise Royal
(Pool)
The court is reading the underlying factors in the Nikolas Cruz trial before each sentencing recommendation is delivered. The names of the Parkland school shooting victims are being read in the order as they were shot by Cruz.
The families of the victims are visibly emotional as the decision is being read.
Fourteen-year-old Gina Montalto’s parents began clutching each other’s hands before the reading began, and they started crying through the reading. Fifteen-year-old Luke Hoyer’s mother was also crying.
(Pool)
Fourteen-year-old Jaime Guttenberg’s father and 14-year-old Alaina Petty’s mother were holding their heads in their hands.
Thirty-five-year-old geography teacher Scott Beigel’s stepdad wiped away tears and put his arm around the victim’s mother, who sat stone-faced.
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Jury recommends life in prison for Parkland shooter on first counts
Nikolas Cruz looks up during his trial at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on August 22.
(Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Pool via Reuters)
A jury is currently reading its decision on the sentence for the Parkland school shooter.
On the first counts, the jury has recommended Nikolas Cruz, 24, be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole for the shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February 2018.
The jury is considering 17 counts for the 17 victims of the Parkland school massacre. On each count, the jury will either recommend Cruz be sentenced to life in prison or be sentenced to death. There are several counts that have not yet been read, and the jury could still recommend a death sentence on any of them.
