‘Constant emptiness.’ For third day, jurors hear how Parkland school murders scarred families
Gina Montalto was a member of the school color guard, an artist with a love of books. Alex Schachter was a trombone player who loved sports, movies and video games. Cara Loughran loved hanging out at the beach, surfing and performing Irish dances.
All were 14 years old. All were fatally shot at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in Parkland on Feb. 14, 2018.
Jurors on Wednesday heard from loved ones about their life stories — and how their violent deaths have devastated their families. It was the third straight day that the jury in the Parkland school shooting trial has heard “victim impact” statements about some of the 17 student and staff members who were murdered during Florida’s worst school shooting.
The jury will eventually decide whether gunman Nikolas Cruz, a former MSD student, should be sentenced to death, or life in prison, for the mass murder. He’s already pleaded guilty.
Jurors were set to visit the freshman building at the school on Thursday morning. The bloodstained and bullet-riddled three-story building has been locked but kept largely intact since the massacre on Valentine’s Day of 2018. Following the tour, prosecutors are expected to finish their case this week.
Read more: Jurors to visit Parkland high school shooting site on Thursday.
The victims presented on Wednesday were:
▪ Gina Montalto, the avid reader who loved books so much that she once told her mom “she wanted to live in a library.”
On Wednesday, her parents, Jennifer and Tony Montalto, remembered an independent but compassionate girl who, at age 10, rescued a toddler from drowning. Gina’s violent death has strained the bonds of the family — her brother struggles to make sense of his best friend’s death, they said.
Tony Montalto, an airline pilot, said he works only part time because he can’t bear leaving his family. He grapples with how to help his wife cope with the pain.
“It tears me apart to see her suffer from a problem that I can’t fix,” Tony Montalto said.
Said Jennifer Montalto: “For the rest of our lives, I will live with the unspeakable loss and pain of knowing there is an empty seat at our table, a bedroom Gina will never return to. We will continue to turn to our front door wishing for Gina to walk through it.”
▪ Alex Schachter, whose father, Max Schachter, has become a national school-safety advocate.
The grieving father said Alex was a huge New England Patriots and Boston Celtics fan, and wanted to attend the University of Connecticut one day.
“There is constant emptiness,” Max Schachter said. “I feel like I truly can’t be happy if I smile. ... I want my family back. I want my sweet Alex back.”
Alex’s brother Ryan also read a poem written by his brother, one his family found in a wastebasket after his death. It was called “Life is like a roller coaster.”
“You keep chugging along. Eventually it comes to a stop. You won’t know when or how,” he read. “But you will know that’ll be time to get off and start anew. Life is like a roller coaster.”
▪ Cara Loughran, who was looking forward to celebrating her 15th birthday and an upcoming family trip to Ireland.
Her parents, Denise and Damian Loughran, did not testify themselves. Instead, a close family friend, Isabel Dalu, read a statement, saying the murder had “left a crushing absence” in the lives of Cara’s family.
“Cara dreamed of getting her driver’s permit and license. She dreamed of her first date, her first kiss and falling in love,” Dalu said. “She dreamed of going to homecoming and prom. Cara didn’t make it to any of these milestones.”
Cara was a student at the Drake School of Irish Dance in Coral Springs.
Thursday’s visit to the school will follow 11 days of trial where jurors have seen numerous crime-scene photos and surveillance clips of Cruz’s methodical rampage inside the building, gunning down students in the hallways and through windows of classroom doors.
The Broward Public Defender’s Office had argued against the jury visit, saying it would only serve to “inflame” jurors. The State Attorney’s Office, however, said the visit was needed for the jury to fully understand the nature of the massacre. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer sided with the state.
“The primary purpose of a jury view is to assist you in understanding and analyzing the evidence presented at trial,” Judge Scherer told jurors on Wednesday afternoon.
Cruz himself has elected not to attend the visit, defense lawyers said.
The jury visit is expected to happen under tight security provided by the Broward Sheriff’s Office. Jurors will be allowed to “explore and observe” the three floors of the building, plus relevant classrooms. The judge warned jurors that they cannot speak or ask deputies any questions about what they are viewing.
“Avoid touching or moving any item located at the scene,” she said. “Do not, under any circumstances, touch anything.”
