The Parkland Shooter Has Agreed to Donate His Brain to Science Following His Death
"I figured if scientists studied his brain they might be able to figure out what created this monster."
Updated July 10 2024, 6:03 p.m. ET
On Feb. 14, 2018, a gunman opened fire on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., killing 17 students and injuring 17 more. At the time, the attack was the country's deadliest since Sandy Hook. The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, pled guilty to murder and attempted murder and was sentenced to 34 consecutive life sentences in November 2022.
It was a tragic day for the high school, and the survivors of the shooting have since spoken out about gun regulation in America. What happened to the Parkland shooter after his sentencing?
Here's what happened to the Parkland shooter after he was sentenced.
In a civil settlement reached between Cruz and one of his victims in July 2024, it was decided that Cruz would donate his brain to science following his death, per Fox News Digital. "I figured if scientists studied his brain they might be able to figure out what created this monster," said Alex Arreaza, a lawyer for 21-year-old Anthony Borges. This was definitely an unusual, but welcomed, addition to the settlement.
Borges can also profit off what happened to him, and is legally able to use Cruz's name in books, movies, podcasts, etc. Conversely, Cruz is unable to make money off his crimes, and furthermore must get permission from Borges before participating in interviews. Arreaza was thinking about O.J. Simpson's controversial book If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer, and as such didn't want Cruz to have the same ability to torture families of the victims.
People hold hands at a Parkland vigil
Since the Parkland shooting, Nikolas Cruz has inherited a large chunk of money.
CNN reported that in November 2017, mere months before the shootings, Cruz's adoptive mother died leaving him and his brother a life insurance inheritance worth $864,929.17. It was split between Cruz and his younger brother Zachary, though the Borges civil settlement also transferred the Parkland shooter's half to the victim.
In 2018, Zachary was arrested and charged with trespassing when he was found skateboarding at Parkland High School, per CBS News. The bail was set at a whopping $500,000 which garnered the attention of Mike Donovan, the CEO of Nexus Services in Verona, Va., and his spouse Richard Moore. The two took Zachary in, but things got weird in October 2022.
Donovan was "accused of exploiting immigration detainees seeking bail" and was also "charged with defrauding" Zachary, reported the AP. Donovan denies all charges and claims the Augusta County Sheriff's Office is getting back at him for attempting to expose corruption within their organization.
As far as Zachary goes, a search warrant affidavit filed in May 2021 stated that an investigation was conducted by Shenandoah Valley Social Services after claims of financial exploitation were being made. Donovan said he was exonerated and added that all of Zachary's money is now gone. Evidently he and Moore were supporting Cruz's troubled brother by way of a weekly stipend. Zachary has not said anything publicly about these accusations.
