Cruz used an AR-15 assault rifle to kill 17 students and staff members
Nikolas Cruz, the Florida mass shooter, has agreed to donate his brain to science as part of a “unique” civil settlement with one of his victims, according to court documents and experts. Cruz used an AR-15 assault rifle to kill 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on February 14, 2018, one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history.
The unusual condition was proposed by an attorney representing Anthony Borges, 21, who was shot five times during the attack, the New York Post reported.
“I figured if scientists studied his brain they might be able to figure out what created this monster,” Borges’ lawyer, Alex Arreaza, told Fox News Digital. “Maybe there was some kind of imbalance that caused this that we can prevent in the future.”
Scott Herndon, a Berkeley-based attorney who has represented victims of mass shootings, described the settlement as unprecedented.
“I’ve never heard of anything like this before. It’s pretty unique,” he told Fox News Digital. “It underscores the feeling of those left behind that whatever can be done to avoid these massacres in the future should be done.”
The new settlement agreement also grants Borges the right to use Cruz’s name in movies, books, and other media. The 25-year-old murderer, currently serving a life sentence, is prohibited from profiting from his crime and must obtain Borges’ permission before participating in any interviews.
“We didn’t want him to be able to continue torturing the families,” said Arreaza, referencing O.J. Simpson’s book “If I Did It” as a cautionary tale.
Herndon mentioned that it is not unusual for a perpetrator to give up the rights to their name as part of a settlement. The agreement was finalized during a Zoom meeting involving Borges’ father, Rory Borges, Cruz, and Arreaza. Anthony Borges, who is dealing with PTSD, did not feel comfortable participating in the discussions, according to Arreaza.
“You could see what a psychopath he is,” Arreaza noted. “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.”
At 15, Borges was among the 17 victims who narrowly survived the brutal attack. He used his body to barricade a door, preventing Cruz from entering the classroom where he and other terrified students were hiding.
The former promising soccer player sustained severe injuries to his legs and torso, requiring over a dozen surgeries.
The settlement also allocates $430,000 to Anthony Borges, which Cruz is expected to receive from a relative’s life insurance policy.
Previously, the Broward County Public School District paid $26 million to the victims of the shooting, with $1.25 million going to Borges. Additionally, Borges received an undisclosed settlement from the FBI for their failure to prevent Cruz’s rampage.
Borges, along with other victims, has pending lawsuits against School Resource Officer Scot Peterson and the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, the New York Post reported.
The shooting continues to haunt the young man, who’s happy the site of the massacre is being torn down. “Every time he drove by there, it brought back memories,” Arreaza told the media outlet.