Parkland shooter sentenced to life in prison

A judge sentenced Parkland gunman Nikolas Cruz to life in prison without parole on Wednesday, after two days of testimony from the victims and their families.

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer sentenced Cruz to 34 life terms for the 17 killed and 17 injured in the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

Scherer’s final sentence comes after a jury last month recommended a life sentence for Cruz, opting against the death penalty.

Cruz’s sentencing spanned two days, as the victims and the families and friends of the slain gave impact statements and spoke directly to the gunman, calling Cruz everything from “pure evil” to a “remorseless monster” in the often angry testimony.

“Your notoriety is over today,” said Linda Beigel Schulman, the mother of slain teacher Scott Beigel. “You will no longer be anything but a number here. And I can tell you, I have never uttered your name and I never will.”

“You are nobody now,” Sam Fuentes, who was injured in the shooting, said to Cruz on Wednesday. “You are not special. You have no longer the power anymore. You will step away from this and you will have the most unremarkable, pathetic existence.”