DeSantis slams Parkland trial timeline: “Justice delayed is justice denied”

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on Friday decried the controversial verdict for Parkland school shooter, Nikolas Cruz, reserving particular anger over the amount of time the trial took.

On Thursday, the 12-person jury issued a recommendation that Cruz receive a sentence of life in prison, as opposed to the death penalty as many had called for, including some parents of the shooter’s victims. Cruz opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Valentine’s Day in 2018, killing 17 and injuring 17 more.

Speaking on Friday at a press conference in Cape Coral, the governor was heavily critical of the jury’s decision, saying that the state has executed people for lesser crimes in the past. He also expressed frustration over the length of time it took for Cruz’s case to reach a verdict, considering that, as he saw it, the facts were cut-and-dry.

“There’s a saying: Justice delayed is justice denied,” DeSantis said. “And when you have four and a half years that go into this—for what? Everybody knew that he did it. I’m not saying that he doesn’t get a lawyer or process, but OK, what are you going to contest in this? Try to say you’re crazy, this? OK, do that, but this should be done in months, not years.”

DeSantis continued, suggesting in general terms that the state should institute criminal justice reforms to better serve victims of crimes, as opposed to alleged perpetrators.

“And yet here we are, it’s taken all this time, this happened before I was even governor, and now here we are more than four years later,” the governor added. “So, that’s not the way I think the justice system should be operating. I mean, I think that we should do some reforms to be better serving victims of crimes and the families of victims of crimes and not always bend over backwards to try to do everything we need to for the perpetrators of crimes.”

While reforms to the expediency of the legal system remain vague for now, the Florida Phoenix reported that DeSantis may have judicial support to broaden the ability of the state to issue the death penalty. In Florida, a recommendation for a death sentence requires a unanimous jury vote, based on a 2016 state Supreme Court ruling. Since then, DeSantis has managed to create a conservative supermajority on the court, with all seven justices having been appointed by Republicans.

Newsweek reached out to DeSantis’ office for comment.