A jury in Florida has recommended a sentence of life in prison for school gunman Nikolas Cruz over the 2018 Parkland massacre which left 17 people dead.

Cruz pleaded guilty last year to premeditated murder at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The expelled student was 18 years old when he used a semi-automatic assault rifle to kill 14 students and three staff members in one of America’s worst school shootings.

After three months of testimony and lawyers’ arguments, 12 jurors took less than 24 hours to reach a decision.

Cruz had said he chose Valentine’s Day to make it impossible for Stoneman Douglas students to celebrate the holiday ever again.

His defence team had acknowledged the severity of his crimes, but asked jurors to consider mitigating factors, including lifelong mental health disorders resulting from his biological mother’s substance abuse during pregnancy.

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