Parkland school shooting verdict: Count 3 in penalty phase is Gina Montalto

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer announced on Oct. 13 that a divided jury recommended life in prison without the possibility of parole as punishment for the Parkland school shooter on count three of first-degree murder.

Count three of 17 in the penalty phase is for the murder of Gina Montalto who Nikolas Cruz killed on Feb. 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, according to Scherer.

Gina, 14, a freshman, was sitting in the hallway working on a laptop in front of classroom 1215 when she was shot four times, according to Chief Assistant State Attorney Mike Satz.

Fort Lauderdale Police Department SWAT team medics took Gina to an ambulance and an Emergency Room doctor at Broward Health North pronounced her dead, records show.

Dr. Marlon Osbourne, who performed the autopsy, said during his testimony in court on July 26 that the evidence showed Cruz shot Gina at close range.

“The end of the gun muzzle was in contact with clothing,” Osbourne said.

Gina was a member of the school’s Color Guard, and she played soccer and flag football. She was also an active member of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church and volunteered regularly.

Interactive graphic: Understanding the choices jurors made on the verdict form

Videos of her parents in court

Gina’s mother, Jennifer Montalto, delivers victim impact statement

Gina’s father, Anthony Montalto, delivers his victim impact statement

Interactive graphic on the penalty phase


About the Author:

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.