I have no doubt that the prosecutors and the defense lawyers in those cases are watching this case very carefully, says Robert Jarvis, a law professor at nova southeastern university in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, noting that it's not yet clear what resonated with jurors during the trial. He had thought the odds in this trial favored the defense. The prosecution has to win every juror on every count, whereas the defense only has to find that one juror who has any doubts Jarvis says. It will never be true justice. Some family members in the courtroom shook their heads or covered their eyes as the jury's decision was read. We are beyond disappointed with the outcome today, Lori allada, whose daughter Alyssa was killed in the shooting, said in a press conference after the verdict. What is the death penalty for if not for the murder in killing of 17 people? But many Parkland survivors want the outcome of this trial to be about more than the gunmen sentence. Some spoke out directly against the death penalty. Killing the MSD shooter will not bring anyone back to life. Cameron kasky, a Stoneman Douglas student who survived the shooting, said in a tweet in July. It will not stop the next school shooter. It will bring our community neither justice nor peace. Diane wolk Rogers, who was teaching at Stoneman Douglas during the shooting, wants the trial to be a wake-up call about the need for stronger gun regulations and increased mental health resources. For me, justice means that we pick up the momentum and we adopt more robust gun regulation and invest in mental health resources. She says. That, to me, is justice. One without the other is not going to solve the problem, she says. Sarah Lerner, an English teacher at Stoneman Douglas, who launched teachers unified to end gun violence with two other educators, is just eager for the trial to be over. It wouldn't be justice, but at least closure would be knowing that the trial is over, and that the building can come down because it's a constant reminder of what happened. What we lost, who we lost, says Lerner, who can see the building where the shooting took place from her classroom. The building needs to come down, so that would give me more closure than whichever way the verdict is going to go. Supported the death penalty in this case. She no longer teaches at Stoneman Douglas. She waited until all the students from her 2018 Holocaust class had graduated and then she left the school where she had taught for 20 years. It had become too hard driving back to the school every day, seeing the building where the shooting took place. She still has a group chat with the students who were in her class that day. It was initially used to coordinate rides to funeral services in the days after the shooting. Now, some chime in when they're struggling and others offer support. Some students watched shamus testified during the trial in July and told her she was brave. It will never be true justice for the parents who lost children in the shooting, she says. Beyond Cruz's sentence, shamas would like to see broader change that could prevent this kind of shooting, and this kind of trial from ever happening again, ending access to assault rifles, for example. It's not just what happens to him, she says, I just hope the community heals.