FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Bedford Junior High School teacher Natalie Hixon addressed her brother's killer Tuesday and did not hold back.
Chris Hixon was among 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Valentine's Day in 2018. The convicted mass murderer, Nikolas Cruz, is in court Tuesday and Wednesday as families read victim impact statements prior to Wednesday's sentencing.
Natalie Hixon was one of the first to speak Tuesday morning at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
"Since your prefrontal cortex of your brain is not developed, I will keep this very simple for you and your IQ of 83," Hixon said. "Just like you, I use Google and social media. I figured you could relate to that. According to Google, the definition of 'victim' is a person harmed, injured or killed as the result of a crime, event or other action. You are not a victim of anything."
Watch Natalie Hixon's entire statement below
Hixon then told Cruz he fits the definition of "entitled" and was only out for attention - no matter if it was for good or bad. She said after Wednesday, "Nobody cares about you."
"Since social media is so important to you," Hixon said, "This came across my TikTok 'For you' page: 'You are born looking like your parents, but when you die, you die looking like your decisions.' My brother Chris, on Feb. 14, died a hero not just to our family, but to countless other individuals he touched. You however will die as nothing, because you are nothing."
Chris Hixon was a Navy veteran and served as athletic director and wrestling coach at the Parkland school. He confronted the shooter and attempted to disarm him before being shot.
Hixon tried to get to his feet for several minutes before he died.
Natalie Hixon teaches physical education and health at Bedford.
Cruz’s two-day sentencing hearing began Tuesday with the families of the 17 people he murdered getting their first chance to speak to him directly, using emotional and often angry terms to describe the devastation he brought to their lives.
Debra Hixon — the wife of athletic director Chris Hixon, a Navy veteran who died trying to stop the Feb. 14, 2018, shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School — was the first to address Cruz. The killer wore a bright red jail jumpsuit and showed no emotion from behind a face mask.
“You stole him from us, and you did not receive the justice that you deserved,” Debra Hixon said. “There is no mitigating circumstance that will outweigh the heinous and cruel way you stole him from us.”
Chris Hixon was wounded and fell to the floor, where Cruz shot him again. He spent more than 10 minutes trying to get back on his feet before he died.
“You were given a gift, a gift of grace and mercy — something you did not show to any of your victims,” Debra Hixon told Cruz. “I wish nothing for you today. After today, I don’t care what happens to you. You’ll be sent to jail, you’ll begin your punishment, you’ll be a number, and for me you will cease to exist.”
Family members and a teacher told Cruz they were disappointed in the jury’s sentencing recommendation, which will send him to prison for life, instead of putting him to death.
“We hope that you, the monster who did this to our son, endure a painful existence in your remaining days. Whatever pain you experience in prison unfortunately will be a fraction of what Ben endured,” said Eric Wikander, the father of student Ben Wikander, who has undergone seven surgeries.
Stacey Lippel, a wounded teacher, told Cruz she was “broken and altered.”
“Because of you, I check for all exits wherever I am,” Lippel said. “Because of you, I think of the worst-case scenario for myself and my family. Because of you, I will never feel safe again,” Lippel said. “I have no forgiveness in my heart for you. You are a monster with no remorse, and every breath you take is a breath wasted.”
After the families of the dead and the 17 people Cruz wounded finish speaking, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer will formally sentence him Wednesday to life in prison without parole. She has no other option, as the jury in his recently concluded penalty trial could not unanimously agree that the 24-year-old former Stoneman Douglas student deserved a death sentence.