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 17 of first-degree murder.
Count 17 in the penalty phase is for the murder of Peter Wang who Nikolas Cruz killed on Feb. 14, 2018, at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, according to Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer.
Peter, 15, was on the third floor of the 1200 building when Cruz shot him 12 times, according to Chief Assistant State Attorney Mike Satz.
Peter, a freshman, died of his wounds near the doorway to the stairwell. Dr. Wendolyn Sneed, a forensic pathologist with the medical examiner’s office, said he died of gunshot wounds to the head.
Peter, a Chinese American born in New York, was wearing his U.S. Army Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps cadet uniform when he died.
Peter’s goal was to attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. His family and friends remembered him as a hero after witnesses said he held the door open so that other students could escape.
Interactive graphic: Understanding the choices jurors made on the verdict form
Peter’s cousin Chen Wang reacts to verdict
Warning: Expletives
Videos of court testimony related to Peter’s case
Peter’s cousin Chen Wang reads a victim impact statement for Peter’s mother, Hui Ying Zhang
Peter’s cousin Aaron Chang reads his victim impact statement
Peter’s friend Gabriel Ammirata reads his victim impact statement
Teacher Ernest Rospierski testifies
Interactive graphic on the penalty phase
