We don’t envy the difficult decision that the Florida jury had to make in deciding whether Nikolas Cruz deserved to die for his barbaric school slaughter in 2018.
What Cruz did — killing 17 people and wounding as many others — was cruel, heinous and premeditated. But he was also a terribly damaged individual, whose problems neither his family nor social workers did enough to address.
Born to a prostitute who abused drugs and alcohol while she was carrying him, Cruz came out of the womb with mental issues. His adoptive parents were not equipped to deal with them, and his antisocial nature only got worse from the bullying he received, including from his also adopted brother.
A minority of jurors felt Cruz could not be held completely accountable for this actions because of his mental illness. As a result, he will receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
That decision understandably did not sit well with the families and friends of many of the victims, or with many in this country. There is not much sympathy for people, whatever their problem, who kill kids.
It was a tough call. The jurors tried to follow the law and their conscience, and they split on what the two demanded. They should not be faulted for it.
