I have to live with this every day.ĪLLEN: Families of the victims rejected the apology. And I do not care if you do not believe me. And if I were to get a second chance, I would do everything in my power to try to help others. In court, the judge allowed him to make a statement in which he apologized to the families of his victims.ĬRUZ: I am very sorry for what I did, and I have to live with it every day. The guilty plea could be seen as part of an effort by Cruz to show remorse. The defense is likely to present what it hopes will be mitigating factors that could help him avoid the death penalty, including his well-documented mental health issues. The prosecution will present its case, including testimony from victims who will give firsthand accounts of Cruz's attack and the long-lasting impact. It's - it was a very disturbing day.ĪLLEN: With the guilty plea, the trial now moves to the penalty phase. It's - there is no way to hear about how many times your daughter was shot by a cold and calculating killer that is easy to take. TONY MONTALTO: Clearly, my wife was tearing up, and I was quite emotional, too. Tony Montalto, Gina's father, was in court with his wife, Jennifer. Luke Hoyer, 15 years old, was shot twice, and he died of his wounds.ĪLLEN: The chilling litany of the dead and wounded was difficult for families to hear. Martin Duque Anguiano, 14 years old, was shot eight times, and he died of his wounds. MICHAEL SATZ: Gina Montalto, 14 years old, who was sitting in the hallway in front of classroom 12-15, was shot four times and died of her wounds. It was an emotional moment for the families present as Satz detailed Cruz's attacks on each of his 34 victims, including the first four he encountered. It began with Cruz's Uber ride to the Parkland High School, where he entered a classroom building carrying a bag with illegally obtained AR-15-style rifle and lots of ammunition. Prosecutor Michael Satz then presented the facts of the case - a timeline of Cruz's shooting rampage on February 14 of 2018. Cruz entered guilty to each charge, and the judge accepted his plea. Do you understand?ĪLLEN: The judge read each of the individual counts, naming each of the 34 killed and wounded. Maybe I should have gone to trial and required the state to prove it. The judge spent a half-hour questioning him to make sure he understood what this meant.ĮLIZABETH SCHERER: Do you understand that if you're on death row waiting to be sentenced, you can't say, you know what? That wasn't a good strategy. Today, Cruz told Judge Elizabeth Scherer he would plead guilty to all charges - 17 counts of murder and 17 of attempted murder. Prosecutors and many of the victim's families, though, have been adamant that they will only be satisfied with a death sentence. Since shortly after his arrest, Cruz's lawyer said he would plead guilty to all charges in exchange for a sentence of life. GREG ALLEN, BYLINE: Several families of those killed and wounded were in the courtroom to see face-to-face the person responsible for so much pain and suffering. His guilty plea means that at minimum, he's facing consecutive life sentences and will die in prison.īut as NPR's Greg Allen reports, prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. He killed 17 people and wounded 17 others. Cruz was a troubled former student at the school. In a Florida courtroom today, Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty to all charges in his attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.
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