Families condemn Parkland shooting ‘monster’: ‘No forgiveness in my heart’
|
Version 0 of 1. Victims’ families address Nikolas Cruz in court before he is sentenced to life in prison for attack that left 17 dead in 2018 Family members of the 17 children and adults Nikolas Cruz murdered at Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school on Valentine’s Day 2018 cursed him to hell, wished him a painful death and called him a coward on Tuesday, as they got their one chance to address him directly before he is sentenced to life in prison. For hours, parents, wives, siblings, children and some of the 17 Cruz also wounded stood 20ft from him. They looked the shackled killer in the eye and gave vehement, angry and sometimes tearful statements. Most decried that his jury voted 9-3 for death but did not reach the unanimity required under state law for that sentence to be imposed. Cruz, 24, stared back, dressed in a bright red jail jumpsuit, showing no emotion behind a face mask. The two-day hearing will conclude on Wednesday when the judge, Elizabeth Scherer, formally sentences Cruz to life without parole. “This creature has no redeemable value,” said Max Schachter, whose 14-year-old son Alex died when he was shot through a classroom window. Speaking at Cruz but refusing to say his name, Schachter said he hoped “other prisoners you will encounter in your new life will inflict that pain upon you, hopefully 17 times over again, until you are screaming for mercy, just like your victims”. Schachter said it was his birthday and that when he blew out his candles he would wish Cruz a painful death – and would every year until it happens. Some family members attacked Cruz’s public defenders, accusing them of misleading jurors into believing his birth mother’s excessive drinking left him brain damaged and unable to control himself. Some hoped their consciences would haunt them forever and would experience the pain they have felt, with at least one parent mentioning the attorneys’ children. “The legal system should protect and impart justice, justice, justice,” Patricia Oliver said, leaning over the lectern toward the defense attorneys and accusing them of “shameful, despicable behavior”. Cruz wounded her 17-year-old son Joaquin in the leg then tracked him to a bathroom alcove. There, Cruz fatally shot her son in the head with his AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle as he raised his hand to protect himself. “If this, the worst mass shooting to go to trial, does not deserve the death penalty, what does?” she said. Nine other US gunmen who killed at least 17 people took their own lives or were killed by police. The suspect in the 2019 deaths of 23 people at a Walmart in Texas is awaiting trial. The lead defense attorney, Melisa McNeill, eventually asked Judge Scherer to stop the family members attacking her and her colleagues directly, saying they had worked within the parameters of Cruz’s constitutional rights. “I did my job, and every member of this team did our job, and we should not personally be attacked for that, nor should our children,” McNeill said, drawing a murmur from where the families sat. A prosecutor, Carolyn McCann, told Scherer the victims had the right under state law and the constitution to “express themselves and be heard”. When McNeill tried to respond, telling the judge she knew the parents were violating court decorum, Scherer stopped her. The two have had a testy and sometimes hostile relationship since pre-trial hearings. “Stop suggesting that I know that something is improper,” Scherer said, saying she had heard enough. She took no action against the families. The argument resumed after lunch, Scherer yelling at and ejecting one of McNeill’s assistants, who asserted that the judge would be more concerned about the statements if the parents had mentioned Scherer’s own children. Cruz’s attorneys say he is not expected to speak. He apologized in court last year after pleading guilty but families told reporters they found the apology aimed at garnering sympathy. He fired 140 shots during his seven-minute attack, which he had planned for seven months. That plea set the stage for a three-month penalty trial that ended on 13 October with the jury failing to reach unanimity. Jurors said those voting for life believed Cruz is mentally ill and should be spared. That led to the current hearing. Debra Hixon, whose husband, athletic director Chris Hixon, died after running at Cruz to stop him, said: “You stole him from us, and you did not receive the justice that you deserved. You’ll be sent to jail, you’ll begin your punishment, you’ll be a number, and for me you will cease to exist.” Eric Wikander, the father of the student Ben Wikander, who has undergone seven surgeries to repair his wounds, said: “We hope that you, the monster who did this to our son, endure a painful existence in your remaining days.” Stacey Lippel, a teacher who was wounded, said: “Because of you, I check for all exits wherever I am. Because of you, I think of the worst-case scenario for myself and my family. Because of you, I will never feel safe again. I have no forgiveness in my heart for you.” |