Jury finds parents of accused Santa Fe High School shooter not criminally responsible – Houston Public Media

Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News via AP, Pool

The parents of suspected shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis were found not guilty in the 2018 shooting at Santa Fe High School that left 10 people dead and 13 others injured.

A three-week trial of the gunman's parents, Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos, was adjourned late Monday when a jury found the parents not guilty of failing to prevent the massacre and failing to obtain mental health treatment for their son.

“When you leave there today, you know your voice will be heard and your message will be clear,” Galveston County Judge Jack Ewing told the jury before it was dismissed on Monday. “We have to protect our children. They have to feel safe when they go to school.”

The jury overwhelmingly concluded that Dimitrios Pagourtzis and the ammunition company Lucky Gunner bore sole responsibility for the shooting.

Attorneys in the case presented their closing arguments on August 16. Defense attorney Lori Laird argued that the parents had no reason to suspect their son or question his behavior before the shooting on May 18, 2018.

“The parents did not consent to this in any way and it is also the failure of the school and Lucky Gunner,” she said.

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Lucky Gunner has already settled a claim filed by the victims' families, but it is still unclear how they will receive the millions of dollars they are owed while Pagourtzis remains in a state hospital.

This is an evolving story.