Watch Live: Closing arguments begin in the penalty trial of the Parkland school shooter

Warning: This video may contain strong language and violent content that some may find disturbing.

Closing arguments began Tuesday in the penalty trial of the man who has admitted to one of the nation’s deadliest school shootings. Seventeen people were killed and 17 others wounded in the Feb. 14, 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

The seven-man, five-woman jury will have to decide if Nikolas Cruz, now 24, will get the death penalty or life without parole. He pleaded guilty in 2021. 

The jury must be unanimous on at least one count for the admitted killer to get the death sentence.

The trial started in July after months of delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic. During months of testimony, the defense has argued the shooter suffered from brain damage because his birth mother drank heavily during pregnancy. He was adopted at birth by a couple who later also adopted his half-brother. Witnesses, including his half-sister, testified to his birth mother’s substance abuse and to his history of violent behavior.

Prosecutors argued he suffers from antisocial personality disorder and knew what he was doing. They focused their case on the shooting itself, including taking the jury to the largely untouched high school campus to retrace his steps.

The jury also heard from the families of victims and from the shooter himself, via video of jailhouse interviews with a forensic psychiatrist and a neuropsychologist. He shared graphic details with the two experts, including about his preparations and memories of the massacre itself.

Debbi Hixon, whose husband, athletic director Chris Hixon, was killed during the mass shooting, told CBS Miami she is glad the trial is “near an end.”

“Having a death sentence will bring some justice and send a message this is intolerable,” she said. 

Deliberations are expected to start Wednesday.