WATCH LIVE: Nikolas Cruz pleads guilty in Parkland school massacre, apologizes to victims’ families

Source: WPLG

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Confessed killer Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty Wednesday to murder and attempted murder in connection with the Feb. 14, 2018, school shooting in Parkland that claimed the lives of 17 people.

Cruz read a statement to the victims’ families after he pleaded guilty, saying he was sorry for what he did, and that he suffers from nightmares and is no longer able to watch TV.

“I know you don’t believe me,” he said.

Cruz also said that he believed the victims’ families should be the ones to decide whether he lives or dies.

“I hope you give me a chance to try to help others,” he said.

The judge later clarified, however, that by law the victims’ families would not be able to make that decision.

The case instead will transition to a penalty phase in the coming months.

Broward County Judge Elizabeth Scherer warned Cruz that evidence prosecutors wished to present during the trial could still be presented during the penalty phase. She also cautioned him that there is no parole with a life sentence in Florida, as in some states where an inmate could be eligible for parole within 25 years.

Cruz said he fully understood what his plea meant for his fate.

Having Cruz plead guilty in the Parkland case allows his attorneys to argue during the penalty hearing that he took responsibility for his actions and their focus is to save him from the death sentence.

On Wednesday,Scherer began the hearing by asking Cruz the same questions as last week regarding his physical and mental health, asking whether he has taken any illegal drugs or had been diagnosed with any illnesses.

Cruz responded that he had not taken any drugs and was experiencing some anxiety Wednesday, but has not been formally diagnosed with any mental illness.

Despite the anxiety, he said he understood everything the judge was asking and saying to him.

Scherer then read through each of the 17 first-degree murder and 17 attempted murder charges, naming each victim Cruz killed or attempted to kill at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and the minimum mandatory sentences for each charge.

The attempted murder charges each carry a minimum sentence of 20-25 years in prison and the murder charges each carry a minimum sentence of life in prison.

Cruz pleaded guilty to all charges.

The victims killed in the school shooting were:

  • Luke Hoyer        
  • Martin Duque        
  • Gina Montalto        
  • Alex Schachter        
  • Alaina Petty        
  • Alyssa Alhadeff        
  • Nicholas Dworet        
  • Helena Ramsay        
  • Christopher Hixon        
  • Carmen Schentrup        
  • Aaron Feis        
  • Scott Beigel        
  • Meadow Pollack        
  • Cara Loughran        
  • Joaquin Oliver        
  • Jaime Guttenberg        
  • Peter Wang

During the hearing, prosecutor Mike Satz outlined Cruz’s actions during the school massacre as the victims’ families wiped away tears.

Satz said Cruz took an Uber to the school and told the first student he saw, “You better get out of here. Something bad is about to happen.”

Satz said Cruz then entered the 1200 building, where he first shot Gina Montalto, who was sitting outside a classroom working on her computer. Montalto was shot four times and died of her injuries.

Satz said Luke Hoyer and Martin Duque were standing next to her and were also fatally shot. Hoyer was shot twice and Duque was shot eight times.

Another student, Ashley Baez, was shot in the leg but she was able to run away and survived, Satz said.

The state said Cruz then shot through classroom windows and also fatally shot athletic director Chris Hixon after he entered the hallway to investigate what was going on.

Coach Aaron Feis was also killed as he was about to enter the hallway and more people were shot after evacuating their classrooms when the fire alarm went off, Satz said.

A 12-person jury will recommend to the judge whether Cruz should be sent to prison for life or given the death penalty.

“I think killing him death by injection is too peaceful,” said Andrew Pollack, whose daughter Meadow, 16, was killed in the shooting. “Get him out of the jail and put him in the prison where he gets prison justice.”

Manuel Oliver, whose 17-year-old son, Joaquin “Guac” Oliver, was among the 17 killed in the school shooting, told Local 10 News last week that “not even the death penalty, would in any way balance what happened to my son.”

Oliver said he knows some of the victims’ families had prepared themselves for a trial, but said he was not mentally prepared for it.

Still, he said he believes “it’s time to speed it up a little bit. Every day is a new day that we suffer and we don’t see a final chapter in this.”

Fred Guttenberg, who lost his daughter Jaime, 14, in the shooting, tweeted Wednesday morning that while the news will be about Cruz’s plea on Wednesday, he will be focusing on his daughter’s life and this weekend he plans to honor her life through a virtual dance-a-thon.

The fundraiser is being held by the Guttenberg’s foundation, Orange Ribbons for Jaime, which helps support causes important to their daughter, as well as causes “that deal with the way her life was tragically cut short.”

Legal analysts say prosecutors will likely use Friday’s guilty plea in the battery case as an aggravating factor when arguing for the death penalty.

“Look how he acts when he is in custody. So, it is not a good factor for the defense,” Mark Eiglarsh said.

Given the high profile case, Scherer is planning to screen thousands of prospective jurors for the sentencing phase.

Hearings are scheduled throughout November and December, with the goal to start testimony in January.

Ever since the shooting, Cruz’s attorneys have been offering to have their client plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence, but the lead prosecutor rejected that offer, saying that Cruz deserved the death sentence.

His plea comes five days after he pleaded guilty to battery on a law enforcement officer, stemming from an attack on a Broward Sheriff’s Office jail guard.

For that case, Scherer sentenced Cruz Wednesday to 26 years in prison.

How We Can Help

If you, a friend or a family member find themselves in a situation such as this, please call the Law Office of Scott A. Ferris, P.A. at 305 670-3330 right away. Scott A. Ferris, Esq. is a licensed attorney who has been practicing law for 34 years. He is available whenever you need him to defend your rights. Please learn about our firm at www.FerrisLawFirm.com.

Republished by the Law Office of Scott A. Ferris, P.A.