Nikolas Cruz - the former student behind the shocking Parkland school shooting - has come to a chilling settlement with one of his victims.
Cruz killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, in February 2018 and left 17 more injured.
In what has been dubbed one of the deadliest school shootings in history, Cruz, who was 19 at the time of the shooting, was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
Now, six years on from his horrific crimes, he has shared an update relating to a settlement with one of his victims.
Cruz has agreed to donate his brain to medical science after his death, per News.com.au.
The victims hope this gesture will help humankind understand "what created this monster".
The proposal came from Alex Arreaza, the lawyer representing Anthony Borges, a 21-year-old who was shot five times during the massacre.
"I figured if scientists studied his brain, they might be able to figure out what created this monster," Arreaza told Fox News. "Maybe there was some kind of imbalance that caused this that we can prevent in the future."
The settlement also grants Borges the rights to Cruz’s name for use in movies, books, and other media.
This ensures Cruz cannot profit from his crime and must obtain Borges’ permission for any future interviews.
"We didn’t want him to be able to continue torturing the families," Arreaza explained, referencing the controversial O.J. Simpson book titled If I Did It.
The agreement was finalized during a Zoom meeting attended by Borges’ father, Rory Borges, Cruz, and Arreaza.
Anthony Borges, who suffers from PTSD, chose not to participate.
"You could see what a psychopath he is," Arreaza remarked about Cruz. "He looked at Rory when we were all done and asked if he could apologize, and Nikolas apologized to him like they had been in a car accident together. It was just very cold and weird."
During the attack, then 15-year-old Borges bravely barricaded a door with his body to prevent Cruz from entering a classroom, saving others but suffering severe injuries himself.
He has since undergone over a dozen surgeries and received financial settlements, including $430,000 from a relative’s life insurance policy and $1.25 million from the Broward County Public School District.
An undisclosed settlement from the FBI for their failure to prevent the shooting also went to Borges.
Borges and other victims have ongoing lawsuits against School Resource Officer Scot Peterson and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office. The site of the massacre is being torn down, a decision Borges supports.
“Every time he drove by there, it brought back memories,” Arreaza said.
Scott Herndon, a California lawyer with experience representing mass shooting victims, called the settlement unique.
"I’ve never heard of anything like this before. It’s pretty unique," Herndon said. "It underscores the feeling of those left behind that whatever can be done to avoid these massacres in the future should be done."
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