Nikolas Cruz: Parkland school shooter's location in Florida prison kept secret amid fears he'll be killed
PARKLAND, FLORIDA: Nikolas Cruz, the Parkland school shooter, is being held in solitary confinement in Florida due to concerns that he might be killed since he has been spared the death penalty. On February 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Cruz killed 14 students and three members of staff and injured 17 more students. After a widely publicized trial, Cruz was sentenced to life in prison in late October.
Due to the jury's impasse and inability to reach a consensus on Cruz's death sentence, the 24-year-old confessed killer was spared from being put to death. The jury then recommended that in light of the terrible killings and attempted murders, he be given a life sentence without the possibility of release. Cruz has been detained by the Florida Department of Corrections for the past nine weeks following his conviction. His precise whereabouts should have been released as required by state law but the state has chosen not to do so due to security concerns for the defendant. However, the Sun-Sentinel claimed that several of the victims' families openly expressed their desire for Cruz to be executed and encouraged other prisoners to use force to enforce the law. “You're talking about someone who could easily be murdered by another inmate,” said Ron McAndrew, a retired Florida prison warden who is now an expert witness on the corrections system, according to Daily Mail.
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“They're going to do everything they can to keep him alive. Too many inmates have nothing to lose,” McAndrew continued. Florida is one of the states that take part in the Interstate Prison Compact, a deal that allows for the relocation of high-profile prisoners if there is a security concern. Cruz is not involved in this initiative, according to several sources. Cruz was recommended for the death punishment by the jury during the trial but they soon changed their minds. On November 1, the verdict was made that Cruz would not be transported to the slaughterhouse but would instead be condemned to live in jail without the possibility of parole. A unanimous decision on at least one count is required for a death sentence in Florida. Life in prison is the only alternative. As many upset family members and friends of the victims shouted their fury and others sobbed in despair, it put the courtroom into a spiral.
Scott Beigel Schulman's mother, Linda Beigel Schulman, referred to Cruz as an "animal" and said the case was the "most perfect death penalty case." After the verdicts were announced, Corey Hixon, the son of the mass murder victim Chris Hixon, came out of court holding hands with a female companion. The ruling "sets a precedent" for the next mass murder, according to Ilan Alhadeff, whose daughter Alyssa was shot eight times. “I'm disgusted with our legal system, I'm disgusted with those jurors,” he said as per Daily Mail. “I'm disgusted with the system.”