Nikolas Cruz, the Parkland school shooter formally sentenced to life in prison
Nikolas Cruz is sentenced to life in prison without parole. He killed 17 people and wounded 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School. In October, jurors voted to spare him the death penalty. Their decision was met with dismay and disgust by the victims' families.
Victim's loved ones condemn gunman's defense counsel. Jennifer Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime died in the third-floor hallway
at Stoneman Douglas, admonished Cruz for hiding his expression with a face mask. She began by explaining the rules and restrictions put
upon the victims' families throughout the trial: None could wear colors symbolic of their loved ones, she said, or audibly react to details about their children's murder.
They've done their best to adhere to the rules while enduring the unthinkable - including the defense attorneys' "blatant disrespect."
A point of contention for the Guttenbergs, as well as for the parents of Scott Beigel and sister of Joaquin Oliver who spoke after
them, was a request made Tuesday by Cruz's defense team to reign in the victim impact statements. Chief Assistant Public
Defender David Wheeler called the animosity some speakers aimed at them "highly improper," accusing the family members of trying to incite violence against them and their loved ones.