Nikolas Cruz, the mass shooter responsible for the deaths of 17 innocent students and faculty at his former high school, faced Debra Hixon, the wife of shooting victim Chris Hixon. Cruz was responsible for the mass shooting at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School and today (November 1), the sentencing phase of his case began.
Hixon was the first person to directly address Cruz about his crimes, which was not allowed during the first trial. In what was a highly emotional and sometimes angry address, Debra Hixon spoke about the devastation Cruz brought to her family.
“There is no mitigating circumstance that will outweigh the heinous and cruel way you stole him from us,” she said. “I wish nothing for you today. After today, I don’t care what happens to you. You’ll be sent to jail, you’ll begin your punishment, you’ll be a number, and for me, you will cease to exist.”
Chris Hixon, a Navy veteran and the school’s athletic director, was shot when he attempted to stop the attack on the school. Eyewitness reports state Hixon fell to the ground and was then shot a second time before Cruz continued firing at other students and faculty. Hixon, it was reported, continued attempting to get to his feet for 10 minutes before succumbing to his injuries.
Cruz, who wore a face mask and orange prison uniform, remained silent during the first day of the trial. He plead guilty in October 2021 to the mass murder that took place on February 14, 2018, at South Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He will face life in prison after the two-day hearing ends. According to his attorneys, Cruz is not expected to speak on either day of the trial.
Cruz could have received the death penalty but was offered life in prison after a jury was unable to come to a unanimous vote in deliberations. The vote came back 9-3 due to some jurors believing he suffered from mental illness.
The Parkland Shooting is the deadliest mass shooting to go to trial in U.S. History. Watch a clip of the sentencing hearing as the judge erupts on Cruz's attorney below.
For more on this story, make sure to read: Chilling Videos Made By Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz Detail Motives For His Attack
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