On February 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, and three years later pleaded guilty to all charges against him. Now twenty three years old, his sentence will fall either on life in prison or the death penalty, with the majority of the parents of the victims supporting the latter.

While in court, Cruz gave a speech expressing his regret for his actions, although it is assumed that his guilty plea came only to try and keep death penalty off the table (although it remains a possible sentence). Nikolas Cruz expressed that the victim’s parents would have the ability to choose what his sentence would end up being although that would not be an option in a court of law and would instead fall upon the jury hearing the case. Jury selection is set to begin on January 4th. In the courtroom while Cruz gave an apology, the father of one student killed in the massacre called the speech “ridiculous”, and commented that people should “…deprive these mass murderers of the notoriety they seek…We need to remember the victims for the wonderful and vibrant people that they were” in regard to the death penalty. Cruz’s guilty plea will finally bring this case to an end, one of the deadliest school shootings in American history, and an event that brought to light the importance of gun safety especially in learning environments.