A Florida jury recommended a life sentence for school gunman Nicolas Cruz for the 2018 Parkland massacre that killed 17 people.
Cruz pleaded guilty to attempted murder at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last year.
The expelled student used a semi-automatic assault rifle to kill 14 students and three staff members at the age of 18 in the worst school shooting in the United States.
After three months of testimony and arguments by lawyers, 12 jurors reached a decision in less than 24 hours.
Cruz has said he chose Valentine’s Day so that Stoneman Douglas students would never be able to celebrate it again.
His defense team acknowledged the gravity of his crimes but asked jurors to consider mitigating factors, including lifelong mental health disorders caused by his birth mother’s substance abuse during pregnancy.