“She had to get married, and I would have my father-daughter dance,” he said, his voice cracking. “He would have a beautiful family, four kids, live in a great house — a beach house on the side. “All those plans ended with Alyssa’s murder,” he said. The families of the 17 people killed in the Parkland school shooting continued to take the stand Tuesday, offering victim impact statements to demonstrate the toll of the killings as a jury decides whether to sentence the shooter to death. Nikolas Cruz, now 23, pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder, and this phase of his criminal trial aims to determine his sentence: Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, while Cruz’s defense attorneys are seeking by the jury for a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. To recommend the death penalty, jurors must be unanimous. If they do, the judge could choose to follow the recommendation or sentence Cruz to life in prison. To reach their verdict, jurors will hear prosecutors and defense attorneys argue aggravating factors and mitigating circumstances — why Cruz should or should not be executed. Victim impact statements add another layer, giving victims’ families and friends their own day in court, although the judge told jurors the statements are not meant to be weighed as aggravating factors. “We were a family of five always trying to fit into a world built for even numbers,” said Tom Hoyer, whose 15-year-old son Luke — the youngest of three — was killed. “Two-, four-, six-seater tables in a restaurant. Two-, four-, six-packs of tickets to events. Things like that.” But the Hoyers are no longer a family of five, and “the world will never feel right again, now that we’re a family of four,” Hoyer said. “When Luke died something was missing inside of me,” she said. “And I will never, ever get over that feeling.” The testimonies of the parents of the 14 students who were killed focused not only on who their children were, but also on who they will never become. Nicholas Dworet, captain of the high school’s swim team, had just received a scholarship to the University of Indianapolis when he was killed, his mother, Annika Dworet, testified Tuesday. He wanted to study economics and move to Boston with his girlfriend. “Nick had big goals — bigger than most of us dare to dream,” she said. Next to his bed, he had taped a note that read: “I want to become a Swedish Olympian and go to Tokyo 2020 to compete for my country. I will give everything in my body and mind to achieve the goals that have set.” “Now,” said Annika Dworet, “we will never know if he would have achieved his goal of going to the Olympics.” The past four years have been no less painful for Linda Beigel Schulman, who told the court Monday that 1,630 days had passed since she spoke to her son Scott Beigel, a geography teacher who was killed as he led students to his classroom. “I’ll never get over it. I’ll never get over it,” he said Monday. “My life will never, ever be the same.”
“Our lives were ruined”
Cruz had no visible reaction Monday to any of the victim’s statements, although one of his defense attorneys was seen wiping away a tear, as were at least two members of the jury. “It’s been four years and four months since he was taken from us, his friends and his family,” Patricia Oliver said of her son, who was 17 when he was killed. “We miss him more than words can say and love him dearly,” she said, adding: “Our lives have been shattered and changed forever.” Joaquin’s sister Andrea Ghersi said her 1-foot-1 sibling was “energetic, lively, strong, confident, powerful, compassionate, understanding, intelligent, passionate, outgoing, playful, loving, competitive, rebellious, funny , faithful and constantly spoke up when he felt that something was not right.” Victoria Gonzalez also took the stand Tuesday. On the day of the shooting, she became Joaquin’s girlfriend, Gonzalez said in court, but they already referred to each other as “always soul mates” and described him as “magic personified, love personified.” His name, he said, is “etched into the depths of my soul.” Kelly Petty, mother of victim Alaina Petty, described the late 14-year-old as “a very loving person.” “She loved her friends, she loved her family, and most importantly, she loved God,” Kelly Petty said of her daughter. “I’m heartbroken that I won’t be able to see her become the amazing young woman she was transforming into.” Alain’s sister Meghan echoed that sentiment, telling the court: “I would love to see her grow up. She would be a blessing to the world.” CNN’s Carlos Suarez and Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report.
title: " My Life Will Never Ever Be The Same. Court Hears First Victim Impact Statements In Parkland Shooter S Death Penalty Trial " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-16” author: “James Laigo”
“She had to get married, and I would have my father-daughter dance,” he said, his voice cracking. “He would have a beautiful family, four kids, live in a great house — a beach house on the side. “All those plans ended with Alyssa’s murder,” he said. The families of the 17 people killed in the Parkland school shooting continued to take the stand Tuesday, offering victim impact statements to demonstrate the toll of the killings as a jury decides whether to sentence the shooter to death. Nikolas Cruz, now 23, pleaded guilty in October to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder, and this phase of his criminal trial aims to determine his sentence: Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, while Cruz’s defense attorneys are seeking by the jury for a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. To recommend the death penalty, jurors must be unanimous. If they do, the judge could choose to follow the recommendation or sentence Cruz to life in prison. To reach their verdict, jurors will hear prosecutors and defense attorneys argue aggravating factors and mitigating circumstances — why Cruz should or should not be executed. Victim impact statements add another layer, giving victims’ families and friends their own day in court, although the judge told jurors the statements are not meant to be weighed as aggravating factors. “We were a family of five always trying to fit into a world built for even numbers,” said Tom Hoyer, whose 15-year-old son Luke — the youngest of three — was killed. “Two-, four-, six-seater tables in a restaurant. Two-, four-, six-packs of tickets to events. Things like that.” But the Hoyers are no longer a family of five, and “the world will never feel right again, now that we’re a family of four,” Hoyer said. “When Luke died something was missing inside of me,” she said. “And I will never, ever get over that feeling.”
“I’ll never get over it”
Testimony from the parents of the 14 students who were killed focused not only on who their children were, but on who they will never be — an endless list of things left undone and unsaid. Nicholas Dworet, captain of the high school’s swim team, had just received a scholarship to the University of Indianapolis when he was killed, his mother, Annika Dworet, testified Tuesday. He wanted to study economics and move to Boston with his girlfriend. “Nick had big goals — bigger than most of us dare to dream,” she said. Next to his bed, he had taped a note that read: “I want to become a Swedish Olympian and go to Tokyo 2020 to compete for my country. I will give everything in my body and mind to achieve the goals that I have appointed.” “Now,” said Annika Dworet, “we will never know if he would have achieved his goal of going to the Olympics.” Jennifer Guttenberg, mother of 14-year-old Jaime, told the court that watching her daughter’s friends and classmates grow up and achieve things Jaime would never want to is “excruciatingly difficult”. Family gatherings and holidays are also difficult, with one less seat at the table and no Jaime to keep “everyone upbeat and laughing.” “There’s camaraderie, but it’s not celebrated,” Guttenberg said. “There’s a deafening silence between everyone as they don’t want to mention Jaime’s name to cause pain, but they don’t want to forget her either.” The past four years have been no less painful for Linda Beigel Schulman, who told the court Monday that 1,630 days had passed since she spoke to her son Scott Beigel, a geography teacher who was killed as he led students to his classroom. “I’ll never get over it. I’ll never get over it,” he said Monday. “My life will never, ever be the same.”
“Our lives were ruined”
Cruz had no visible reaction Monday to any of the victim’s statements, although one of his defense attorneys was seen wiping away a tear, as were at least two members of the jury. “It’s been four years and four months since he was taken from us, his friends and his family,” Patricia Oliver said of her son, who was 17 when he was killed. “We miss him more than words can say and love him dearly,” she said, adding: “Our lives have been shattered and changed forever.” Joaquin’s sister Andrea Ghersi said her 1-foot-1 sibling was “energetic, lively, strong, confident, powerful, compassionate, understanding, intelligent, passionate, outgoing, playful, loving, competitive, rebellious, funny , faithful and constantly spoke up when he felt that something was not right.” Victoria Gonzalez also took the stand Tuesday. On the day of the shooting, she became Joaquin’s girlfriend, Gonzalez said in court, but they already referred to each other as “always soul mates” and described him as “magic personified, love personified.” His name, he said, is “etched into the depths of my soul.” Kelly Petty, mother of victim Alaina Petty, described the late 14-year-old as “a very loving person.” “She loved her friends, she loved her family, and most importantly, she loved God,” Kelly Petty said of her daughter. “I’m heartbroken that I won’t be able to see her become the amazing young woman she was transforming into.” Alain’s sister Meghan echoed the sentiment, telling the court: “I would love to see her grow up. She would be a blessing to the world.” Gena Hoyer, Luke Hoyer’s mother, said her 15-year-old son’s room remains the same. His glasses and charger are still on the nightstand and his clothes remain untouched, he testified. She gets physically ill when she moves anything in the room, she said. Meadow Pollack’s mother, Shara Kaplan, told jurors to articulate how her daughter’s death affected her, she would have to rip out her heart and show them it’s shattered into a million pieces. “(Meadow’s death) destroyed my life and my ability to ever live a productive existence,” she said. CNN’s Carlos Suarez and Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report.
