Nikolas Cruz spared death penalty
Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz has been spared the death penalty and sentenced to life in prison by a Florida jury for carrying out the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that claimed 17 lives.
![PHOTO:Relatives of MSD High School shooting victims are seen reacting on a TV screen in the media room as the judge reads the jury verdict in the penalty phase of the trial of shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Oct. 13, 2022.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/verdict-parkland4-rt-ml-221013_1665676907148_hpEmbed.jpg)
![PHOTO: Relatives of MSD High School shooting victims are seen reacting on a TV screen as the judge reads the jury verdict in the penalty phase of the trial of shooter Nikolas Cruz at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Oct. 13, 2022.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/verdict-parkland3-rt-ml-221013_1665676611588_hpEmbed.jpg)
On all 17 counts, the jury found that aggravated factors did not outweigh the mitigating factors.
Mitigating factors presented at trial included arguments by Cruz’s attorneys that he suffered lifelong developmental delays that traced back to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
![PHOTO: MSD High School shooter Nikolas Cruz is seen in a TV screen in the media room next to the courtroom as the judge Elizabeth Scherer reads the jury verdict in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Oct. 13, 2022.](https://i.abcnewsfe.com/a/f7c6375e-51c1-4666-90c4-e6b0fd0fb743/verdict-parkland2-rt-ml-221013_1665676122750_hpMain_16x9t.jpg)
Cruz will return to court on Nov. 1 when surviving victims will be able to read statements.