The Associated Press reports:
A jury reached its decision Thursday in the penalty trial of Nikolas Cruz, who gunned down 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in 2018. The trial was to decide whether to sentence him to life in prison or the death penalty.
During closing arguments Tuesday, defense counsel Melisa McNeill told the jury before they started deliberations: “One day I promise you, you will ask yourself, did I make the right decision? You will never forget voting for life.”
Lead prosecutor Mike Satz concluded the state’s closing arguments by emotionally reading each victim’s name saying, “The appropriate sentence for Nikolas Cruz is the death penalty.”
Read the full article. Clips below are live.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Jury rejects death penalty for Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz, meaning he will get life sentence
— Meg Kinnard (@MegKinnardAP) October 13, 2022
BREAKING: Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz receives life in prison for the 2018 shooting that killed 17 students and staff.
The jury concluded that aggravating factors existed in all 17 murders, but in each case, at least one juror found mitigating factors outweighed them. pic.twitter.com/7MNc8SzGiF
— Jacquelyn Gray (@JacquelynMGray) October 13, 2022
Happening Now: Jurors have reached a verdict in the sentencing of Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz. #8NN
WATCH LIVE: https://t.co/AY2viLPuhD— 8 News Now (@8NewsNow) October 13, 2022