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Four years ago, on February 14, 2018, Nikolas Cruz entered his old high school with a high-powered assault rifle and caused what is, till date, one of the worst mass shootings in American history. The tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida cost 17 people their lives, and injured several others.
On Monday, July 18, 2022, almost four-and-a-half years after the fatal attack, now 23-years-old Nikolas Cruz faces a trial that will decide his fate. The trial, which is expected to go on for four months, will decide whether Cruz should be given the death penalty or a life imprisonment sentence without parole. A jury consisting of seven men and five women will have to come to a unanimous agreement by the end of the trial for a death sentence.
He has previously pleaded guilty to 17 first-degree murder charges in October.
The opening statement was delivered by the prosecution on Monday at Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale. Lead prosecutor Michael Satz described a video that was recorded by Cruz before the shooting where he can be heard saying:
"My name is Nik. I’m going to be the next school shooter of 2018. My goal is at least 20 people with an AR-15 and some tracer rounds. It’s gonna be a big event and when you see me on the news you’ll know who I am. You’re all gonna die. ... I can’t wait."
He called the carnage "systemic" and premeditated. What led Nikolas Cruz to react, however, were videos of the shooting filmed by former student Danielle Gilbert. While the jurors were able to watch the clips being played, the gallery could only hear the audio.
In footage from the trial, Cruz can be seen sitting with his head in his hands, flanked on both sides by his defense team, as audio of the horrifying shooting is played in the background.
Trigger warning: The following video contains graphic content. The viewer's discretion is advised.
"It turns out everyone predicted it": Months after the Parkland tragedy, students look back at all the signs that had pointed towards Nikolas Cruz
On Monday, Prosecutor Michael Satz called the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School a "systemic murder," one that was planned in a detailed manner. The AR-15 semiautomatic rifle wielding teenager had the attack mapped out in his head as he entered through the gates of his former high school four years ago.
"He's been with us through fire drills," said a former Parkland student to WJXT news channel months after the shooting that claimed the lives of 14 students. According to the student, the students of the high school used to joke about Cruz's behavior:
"Honestly, a lot of people were saying it was going to be him. All kids joked around like that, saying that he was going to be the one to shoot up the school. It turns out everyone predicted it. That's crazy."
Nikolas Cruz has argued that the punishment should be decided by the families of those affected by the massacre. The defense has shifted their opening statements to a later date.
