A Florida jury has recommended that Nikolas Cruz be sentenced to life in prison for the 2018 Parkland school shooting, which killed 17 people.
Cruz pleaded guilty to premeditated murder at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School last year.
The expelled student was 18 years old when he used a semi-automatic assault rifle to kill 14 students and three staff members in one of America’s worst school shootings.
After three months of testimony and lawyers’ arguments, 12 jurors took less than 24 hours to reach a decision.
Cruz had said he chose Valentine’s Day to make it impossible for Stoneman Douglas students to celebrate the holiday ever again.
His defence team had acknowledged the severity of his crimes but asked jurors to consider mitigating factors, including lifelong mental health disorders resulting from his biological mother’s substance abuse during pregnancy.