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Nikolas Cruz: Parkland shooter sentenced to 34 consecutive life terms in prison without parole

As prosecutors wiped tears from their eyes, the parents thanked them for their efforts and assured them they did not let them down

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA: Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz was sentenced to life in prison without parole after three jurors spared him the death penalty last month. The 24-year-old was emotionless in court on Wednesday, November 2, as the victims' family members wept. Some parents even said they hoped other inmates kill Cruz. As prosecutors wiped tears from their eyes, the parents thanked them for their efforts and assured them they did not let them down.

Judge Elizabeth Scherer thanked the victims' parents for being "strong and patient" throughout the sentencing phase of the trial. Under the law, the judge was powerless and had no option but to impose a maximum term of life in prison. While the victims' families asked for the death penalty, a lone, hold-out juror decided against it. Cruz reportedly cannot benefit from any money donated to his prison account, the Daily Mail reported. 

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Cruz, then 19, shot dead 14 students and three staff members at his former school Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in South Florida on February 14, 2018. He pleaded guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder last fall in connection with the shooting. Families horrified at Cruz dodging the death penalty their they hope he is murdered in jail. 

'Stain on our legal system'

Social media condemned the fact that Cruz managed to escape the death penalty. "Nikolas Cruz has been sentenced to life without parole x 34 for the Parkland massacre. Leaving these families absolutely crushed. There may never have been a better example of WHY the death penalty is justified & necessary. Maybe he’ll get that imposed on the inside," one user said on Twitter. Another wrote, "As much as I would’ve loved to see this guy get the death penalty, I guarantee you he will not make it to 2025 in prison. It’s just a matter of time now. His prison death will be justly brutal." "Nikolas Cruz and his attorneys have shown absolutely no respect for the families of the Parkland victims, the rule of law, or the judge in this case. The fact that this piece of sh** avoided the death penalty is nothing short of an absolute travesty," one user fumed.

"Nikolas Cruz avoiding the death penalty is a stain on our legal system. Anything other than swift execution for proven murder is injustice," one user wrote, while another said, "It is abominable, unfathomable, completely unthinkable that Nikolas Cruz - arguably one of the sickest, most deranged, evil people on planet earth - does not face the death penalty. What an embarrassment of the justice system. The death penalty was MADE for cowards like him." One user said, "The fact Nikolas Cruz avoided the death penalty… Only fuc**** shows how this justice system is failing.. "

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