Parkland school shooter formally sentenced

Judge Elizabeth Scherer on Wednesday formally sentenced the Parkland school shooter, whose name we're leaving out because he had said he was seeking fame, to a sentence of life in prison without parole. The sentencing came after two days of testimony from victims and families of victims. They spoke at a lectern 20 feet in front of the convicted shooter. The judge commended those who testified, saying that she knew they would be OK because they had each other. Scherer could not sentence the convicted shooter to the death penalty because a jury last month found him ineligible for it.

What did the families say? They expressed grief and dismay that the convicted shooter was not sentenced to death. One family member said the convict will have to worry about his safety for the rest of his life. “From what I hear, child killers are highly frowned upon and hated in prison,” Beigel Schulman said.

Dig deeper: From the WORLD archives, read Sophia Lee’s report about schools debating the effectiveness of having police officers on campus.