Nikolas Cruz has pleaded guilty this Wednesday to the murder of 17 people during his shooting of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS in Parkland, Florida, on February 14, 2018.
The guilty plea will now lead to a trial that will sentence him to a minimum of life in prison without the possibility of parole and a maximum of the death penalty. The prosecution has stated that they are seeking the death penalty.
“I'm trying my best to maintain my composure, and I just want you to know I'm really sorry.” Nikolas Cruz stated. “I believe it's your decision to decide where I go, and whether I live or die. Not the jury's. I believe it's your decision. I'm sorry."
In the wake of the shooting, many students across the country launched the March for Our Lives movement, which called for gun reform across America. Multiple walkouts occurred on school grounds around the country following the massacre.
“We want him to get the death penalty,” Mitch Dworet, the father of Nicholas Dworet, who was murdered in the shooting, “We want him to suffer.”