On the first day of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz's sentencing hearing, family members of the 14 students and three staff members told the 24-year-old that he will "burn in hell" and "die as nothing.

On the first day of Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz's sentencing hearing, family members of the 14 students and three staff members told the 24-year-old that he will "burn in hell" and "die as nothing." In October, a US jury gave life imprisonment for Cruz, who shot and killed 17 people at a Florida high school. The sentencing shocked some relatives of the victims. Now those who are most directly affected by the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School attack made angry and emotional comments after the jury in Broward County recommended life in prison for Cruz, not the death penalty. Theresa Robinovitz, the grandmother of victim Alyssa Alhadeff, said: "I'm too old to see you live out your life sentence, but I hope your every-breathing moment here on earth is miserable and you repent for your sins Nikolas and burn in hell." ALSO READ | UK: Counter-terrorism police take over attack on Dover immigration centre WATCH | Chicago Mass Shooting: 3 children among 14 injured in Halloween shooting × Meanwhile, David Robinovitz, who is the grandfather of a 14-year-old victim, called Cruz the "Parkland murderer," refusing to address him by his name. During the hearing, Robinovitz told Cruz: "Parkland murderer, there’s going to come a day – it could be a week from now, it could be a month from now, it could be 40 years from now – you are going to die. When you die, it is my fondest hope that they take you and burn you and take your ashes and throw them in the garbage dump." He further said: "You know why? Because garbage to garbage. And at that time Parkland murderer, it is my hope that you go somewhere to meet your maker of whatever it is and Parkland murderer I hope your maker sends you directly to hell to burn for the rest of your eternity." ALSO READ | South Korea: Police was alerted four hours before the deadly crush Deborah Hixon, who is the widow of athletic director Chris Hixon, told Cruz: "He was stolen from us by an unimaginable act that you planned and executed. After today, I don’t care what happens to you. You’ll be sent to jail, you will be getting your punishment. You'll be a number and for me, you will cease to exist." She said, "You wanted to see the families suffer – well, no more. We will not just survive, we will thrive and we will honour Chris and the other 16 beautiful people that you took from us with positive action and wonderful memories." What happened on February 14, 2018? On February 14, 2018, then-19-year-old Nikolas Cruz had walked into the school carrying a semiautomatic rifle. Reports said that in nine minutes, he killed 17 people and wounded another 17. He had been expelled a year earlier for disciplinary reasons. After the shooting, Cruz fled by mixing in with people. He was later arrested by police shortly as he walked along the street. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

'Burn in hell': Family members of Parkland shooting victims confront Nikolas Cruz at sentencing

A jury spared Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz from the death penalty for killing 17 people at a Parkland high school in 2018. The jury of seven men and five women returned their verdict after seven and a half hours of deliberations, following a 60-day trial.

Parkland shooter gets life imprisonment, jury spares capital punishment

A US jury has recommended&nbsp;life imprisonment to Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, who massacred 14&nbsp;students and three staff members at his former high school in 2018.&nbsp;

Last October, Cruz, who is now 24,&nbsp;pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder for the shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. &nbsp;

His trial, which began in April, was focused on whether he should receive the death penalty&nbsp;or life in prison without the possibility of parole.&nbsp;

Cruz’s lawyers argued that his life should be spared, citing his mental and developmental conditions.&nbsp;

But the prosecution continued to press for capital punishment describing Cruz's premeditated crime as heinous and cruel. &nbsp;

On Thursday, the 12-person jury in Florida&nbsp;reached a decision recommending prison for life for Cruz&nbsp;after hearing weeks of gut-wrenching testimonies.&nbsp;

Under Florida law, the decision to recommend a death should be unanimous or else Cruz will receive a sentence of life in prison.&nbsp;

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, who is presiding the case,&nbsp;will formally issue the life sentence&nbsp;on November&nbsp;1.

The Parkland shooting was one of the most gruesome gun attacks in US history. Following the incident, there were renewed calls for tighter gun control across the country.

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A US jury has recommended life imprisonment to Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, who massacred 14 students and three staff members at his former high school in 2018.

A US jury has recommended life imprisonment to Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz, who massacred 14 students and three staff members at his former high school in 2018. Last October, Cruz, who is now 24, pleaded guilty to 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder for the shooting at Florida’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. His trial, which began in April, was focused on whether he should receive the death penalty or life in prison without the possibility of parole. Cruz’s lawyers argued that his life should be spared, citing his mental and developmental conditions. But the prosecution continued to press for capital punishment describing Cruz's premeditated crime as heinous and cruel. On Thursday, the 12-person jury in Florida reached a decision recommending prison for life for Cruz after hearing weeks of gut-wrenching testimonies. Under Florida law, the decision to recommend a death should be unanimous or else Cruz will receive a sentence of life in prison. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer, who is presiding the case, will formally issue the life sentence on November 1. The Parkland shooting was one of the most gruesome gun attacks in US history. Following the incident, there were renewed calls for tighter gun control across the country. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

US jury spares death penalty to Parkland high school shooter, recommends life imprisonment

US President Donald Trump vowed to make schools safer on the first anniversary of the <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/florida-school-shooter-heard-voices-telling-him-to-kill-157532">Parkland school gun massacre</a> on Thursday.

President Trump said in a statement that he will "not rest" until US schools are made safe, adding&nbsp;"tremendous strides" have already been made.

"Today, as we hold in our hearts each of those lost a year ago in Parkland, let us declare together, as Americans, that we will not rest until our schools are secure and our communities are safe," Trump said.

Calling school safety "a top priority," Trump listed measures including a ban on bump stocks -- a modification allowing store-bought semi-automatic weapons to fire similarly to a full automatic weapon, delivering an uninterrupted torrent of bullets.

Trump said to care for mental health and school security was also much improved since last year.

However, efforts to curb the steady flood of US gun violence are tightly constrained by pressure from Trump's Republican Party and the gun ownership rights' lobby, which see even modest restrictions on access to firearms as violating the constitution.

The city of Parkland, Florida came to a standstill today to remember the victims of a school shooting that took the lives of 17 people on Valentine's Day one year ago, igniting a student crusade against gun violence.

Students and families observed a moment of silence and&nbsp;community service activities were scheduled for local schools, with the city&nbsp;hosting an evening vigil at a park.

Seventeen students were killed on February 14 last year after a former student&nbsp;with an assault rifle opened fire inside his&nbsp;school in Parkland, Florida.

(With inputs from&nbsp;agencies)

US President Donald Trump vowed to make schools safer on the first anniversary of the Parkland school gun massacre on Thursday. President Trump said in a statement that he will "not rest" until US schools are made safe, adding "tremendous strides" have already been made.

US President Donald Trump vowed to make schools safer on the first anniversary of the Parkland school gun massacre on Thursday. President Trump said in a statement that he will "not rest" until US schools are made safe, adding "tremendous strides" have already been made. "Today, as we hold in our hearts each of those lost a year ago in Parkland, let us declare together, as Americans, that we will not rest until our schools are secure and our communities are safe," Trump said. Calling school safety "a top priority," Trump listed measures including a ban on bump stocks -- a modification allowing store-bought semi-automatic weapons to fire similarly to a full automatic weapon, delivering an uninterrupted torrent of bullets. Trump said to care for mental health and school security was also much improved since last year. However, efforts to curb the steady flood of US gun violence are tightly constrained by pressure from Trump's Republican Party and the gun ownership rights' lobby, which see even modest restrictions on access to firearms as violating the constitution. The city of Parkland, Florida came to a standstill today to remember the victims of a school shooting that took the lives of 17 people on Valentine's Day one year ago, igniting a student crusade against gun violence. Students and families observed a moment of silence and community service activities were scheduled for local schools, with the city hosting an evening vigil at a park. Seventeen students were killed on February 14 last year after a former student with an assault rifle opened fire inside his school in Parkland, Florida. (With inputs from agencies)

Will 'not rest' until US schools safe from gun violence, Trump says on Florida school shooting anniversary

One year on, the legacy of the Parkland shooting

United States President Donald Trump has written a letter to the family of Meadow Pollack, one of the victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida that claimed 17 lives.

"Our entire Nation mourns the tragic loss of Meadow. Our hearts are heavy for you and your entire family," read the letter.

The victim's father and brother had earlier participated in a listening session with the President, where the enraged father had drawn attention to the recurrent mass shootings in schools and had urged the administration officials to prioritize school safety.

"I am deeply grateful for your presence at the White House for discussions regarding school safety. I was touched by the memories of Meadow you shared. It was clear that she had a bright future, full of tremendous potential -- I know that you were so proud of her. We will not forget her life, and we are resolved to confront the evil that so senselessly took her from us. Melania and I hold you close in our hearts, and we pray for your comfort and strength," Trump further wrote in the letter.

The letter has been shared by Pollack's brother, Hunter Pollack on Twitter, who wrote, "Thank you @realDonaldTrump for opening the Whitehouse to my family with open arms. Was great talking about my sisters beauty , and school security with you. Thank you Mr. President."

On February 14, at least 17 people- children and adults- were killed in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

On March 24, the public, primarily students across the US also held a "March for Our Lives" rally pressing for stricter gun control measures after the attack.

On February 14, at least 17 people- children and adults- were killed in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida

United States President Donald Trump has written a letter to the family of Meadow Pollack, one of the victims of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida that claimed 17 lives. "Our entire Nation mourns the tragic loss of Meadow. Our hearts are heavy for you and your entire family," read the letter. The victim's father and brother had earlier participated in a listening session with the President, where the enraged father had drawn attention to the recurrent mass shootings in schools and had urged the administration officials to prioritize school safety. "I am deeply grateful for your presence at the White House for discussions regarding school safety. I was touched by the memories of Meadow you shared. It was clear that she had a bright future, full of tremendous potential -- I know that you were so proud of her. We will not forget her life, and we are resolved to confront the evil that so senselessly took her from us. Melania and I hold you close in our hearts, and we pray for your comfort and strength," Trump further wrote in the letter. The letter has been shared by Pollack's brother, Hunter Pollack on Twitter, who wrote, "Thank you @realDonaldTrump for opening the Whitehouse to my family with open arms. Was great talking about my sisters beauty , and school security with you. Thank you Mr. President." On February 14, at least 17 people- children and adults- were killed in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. On March 24, the public, primarily students across the US also held a "March for Our Lives" rally pressing for stricter gun control measures after the attack.

Trump writes heartfelt letter to family of Parkland victim

The latest celebrity couple to join the fight against gun ownership in the United States, singer John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen donated the sum of&nbsp;$25,000 to the cause of anti-gun&nbsp;March for Our Lives movement.&nbsp;

Standing in support of the&nbsp;Parkland shooting survivors, Legend said,&nbsp;&quot;We support the students. We&#39;re proud of the students. We&#39;ve already sent them money. We sent them $25,000 to help with whatever costs they have for organising, and we believe that our gun culture needs to change in America.&quot;

In addition to providing for the money, Legend also suggested&nbsp;widespread changes need to be made to prevent future gun-related tragedies, both large and small-scale.

He said:&nbsp;&quot;We stand out among other major countries in the world when it comes to these types of massacres, but also in the everyday gun violence that people have to deal with. I don&#39;t think that we should accept that as normal. I think we&#39;ve decided that everyone having unfettered access to guns is more important than all of us being safe, and I think we need to reshape that balance a bit so that we&#39;re all more safe.&quot;

John Legend is married to actress and social media influencer Chrissy Teigen and has a child with her, Luna who is one-year-old while there is a second child on the way. Talking about&nbsp;the country&#39;s responsibility to protect children, he said, &quot;I don&#39;t want our kids to keep going to these shooter drills, and all these other things that I can&#39;t even believe kids are dealing with right now,&quot; he explained. &quot;They shouldn&#39;t have to deal with that. But I&#39;m glad these kids from Parkland are saying enough is enough, and we support them.&quot;

&nbsp;

They are the latest celebrity couple who support Parkland shooting survivors and the anti-gun March for Our Lives movement

The latest celebrity couple to join the fight against gun ownership in the United States, singer John Legend and his wife Chrissy Teigen donated the sum of $25,000 to the cause of anti-gun March for Our Lives movement. Standing in support of the Parkland shooting survivors, Legend said, "We support the students. We're proud of the students. We've already sent them money. We sent them $25,000 to help with whatever costs they have for organising, and we believe that our gun culture needs to change in America." In addition to providing for the money, Legend also suggested widespread changes need to be made to prevent future gun-related tragedies, both large and small-scale. He said: "We stand out among other major countries in the world when it comes to these types of massacres, but also in the everyday gun violence that people have to deal with. I don't think that we should accept that as normal. I think we've decided that everyone having unfettered access to guns is more important than all of us being safe, and I think we need to reshape that balance a bit so that we're all more safe." John Legend is married to actress and social media influencer Chrissy Teigen and has a child with her, Luna who is one-year-old while there is a second child on the way. Talking about the country's responsibility to protect children, he said, "I don't want our kids to keep going to these shooter drills, and all these other things that I can't even believe kids are dealing with right now," he explained. "They shouldn't have to deal with that. But I'm glad these kids from Parkland are saying enough is enough, and we support them."

Star couple John Legend, Chrissy Teigen donate $25,000 to students against gun violence