FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The most seriously injured survivor of the 2018 massacre at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School now bears the name of shooter Nikolas Cruz, and Cruz cannot give any interviews without his permission under an agreement reached in a lawsuit.
Under its recent agreement with Antonio BorgesCruz must also turn over any money he may receive as a beneficiary of a relative’s life insurance policy, participate in any scientific studies on mass shooters, and donate his body to science after his death.
The agreement means that Cruz, 25, cannot benefit from or cooperate with any films, TV shows, books or other media productions without Borges’ permission. Cruz is serving consecutive life sentences in an undisclosed prison for each of the 17 murders and 17 attempted murders he committed inside a three-story classroom building on February 14, 2018.
“We just wanted to shut him down so we never heard from him again,” Borges’ lawyer Alex Arreaza said Thursday.
Borges, now 21 years old, was shot five times in the back and legs and fell in the middle of the third floor corridor. The video shows that Cruz pointed his rifle at Borges as he lay on the ground, but unlike most of the other victims he passed, did not shoot him a second time. Arreaza said he asked Cruz why he didn’t shoot Borges again, but he didn’t remember.
A promising football player before the shooting, Borges underwent more than a dozen surgeries and still lives in pain. He received donations, a $1.25 million settlement from the Broward County school district and an undisclosed settlement from the FBI for his failures to prevent the shooting. Arreaza said it’s difficult to say whether Borges received enough money to cover his future medical expenses.
Several other families have also sued Cruz, and a mini-trial has been scheduled for next month to assess damages against him. That trial was canceled, Arreaza said. David Brill, the attorney representing the other families, did not return a phone call and two email messages seeking comment.
Florida already has laws that prohibit inmates from keeping any proceeds related to their crimes, including any writings or artwork they may produce in prison. Additionally, Judge Elizabeth Scherer, in sentencing Cruz, ordered that any money placed in the prison commissioner’s account be seized to pay restitution to the victims and their families and all court and investigative costs. In total, it would be millions of dollars.
Arreaza said he feared that without the agreement, Cruz could find a way to circumvent the law and the judge’s order or assign any money he might receive to a relative or someone else.
Borges, the families of the murdered Cruz and other survivors are also suing former Broward County Sheriff’s Deputy Scot Peterson, the sheriff’s office and two former school security guards, alleging they failed to protect students and staff. No trial date has been set. Peterson was acquitted of criminal charges last year.
