Statements from Linda Beigel Schulman & Michael Schulman on parkland judge’s sentence & victim impact statements.
EXCERPT FROM LINDA BEIGEL SCHULMAN VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT
It has been 1,723 days since he murdered my son, along with 16 other innocent students. My son, Scott, was the geography teacher and cross-country coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. In spite of the murderer’s desire to kill as many students as possible, Scott, realizing that the mass murderer was in the school and on a killing rampage, he did what he had to save the lives of as many students as he possibly could. Scott managed to save 31 students before the murderer killed him.
I’ve had 15 days to ponder the jury’s verdict and I’ve realized that the death penalty was way too easy. I learned that here in Florida, the average death penalty case takes 18 years from sentencing to execution. That means that I would probably be dead before the murderer was executed. I will go forward knowing that the murderer is going to a maximum-security prison, with other murderers, much tougher than he is. A prison where he will spend the rest of his miserable life, having to look over his shoulder, worried about every single minute of the day, and scared out of his mind, fearful that someone is going to take him out.
I have one last request for the media, and this is definitely something that I would really like to have you take to heart. All of the media, not just the media who are here today, all of the media. Do not give this animal the notoriety he craves. Out of respect for the 17 families whose loved ones were murdered by this animal, an animal that continues to show no remorse. Please do not use his name in your reporting ever again. Please refer to him as who he is, the confessed, convicted, Parkland mass murderer. Thank you.
EXCERPT FROM MICHAEL SCHULMAN VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENT
On February 13th, I was home with the flu and my son Scott called to see how I was doing. I said not so well. He said don’t worry I’ll speak to you tomorrow, that never happened. The system failed us. Not the prosecution. Not the court. 12 people voted that the murderer’s crime was heinous, calculated, premeditated, and cold blooded. That’s enough for me. They recognize that type of person, I take that back, the type of animal that the murderer is. To call him a person demeans everyone else here. These 17 families and all the victims of your heinous crime will survive. We will go on, we will make the best of our lives, and we will deal with the daily grief, pain, and anger we feel every day. I have to learn to live with the pain the murderer caused my family. He’s the worst animal. Contrary to the defense, the murderer is not a human being. He is the lowest form of pond scum, and I apologize to pond scum for equating him to them. The murderer is a spineless, soulless monster. My son, Scott was a human being, he still is. Something the murderer will never be and never was. This day was long coming. I didn’t know how I would feel right now. I don’t feel any better because the murderer is still breathing. The day he stops breathing, I will feel better, thank you.
