Nikolas Cruz prosecutor delivers closing arguments in Parkland shooting case
Closing arguments have concluded in the sentencing trial of Nikolas Cruz, the gunman who murdered 14 students and three staff members in a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on 14 February 2018.
Prosecutors, who are seeking the death penalty, have argued that Cruz, now 24, planned his attack – researching other mass shooters online and leaving comments about his desires to kill people.
The defence has argued that Cruz suffers from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) because of being exposed to alcohol in the womb. They say that this contributed to his actions that day.
However, the prosecution argues that the aggravating factors in the case far outweigh such mitigating factors as laid out by the defence. Prosecutor Mike Satz concluded by saying: “The appropriate sentence for Nikolas Cruz is the death penalty.”
Defence attorney Melisa McNeill argued: “You now know that Nicholas is a brain-damaged, broken, mentally ill person, through no fault of his own ... He did not have control over who his biological mother is.”
Jurors will begin deliberations on Wednesday where they will decide whether to sentence him to life in prison or to execution.
