Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport faced a fatal accident when a 26-year-old Iraqi war veteran opened fire at many individuals. Unfortunately, the suspect stole five lives while keeping six others on a dangerous edge between life and death.
But the families of the deceased are going to get their revenge as the shooter is currently being arranged to appear at Ft. Lauderdale federal court on Monday.
He was charged with airport and firearms violence which can result in a strict and unchangeable death penalty if he gets a conviction. But the first court date (which is on Monday) shall not be taking any strict measures.
Instead, it will be more concentrating on whether Esteban Santiago currently has a lawyer or not. Also fixing upcoming court dates will be a center point of the hearing. Presently the criminal is being detained without bail since he was arrested.
It is still not finalized what the future of Esteban looks like but the court has two weeks to indict him. Following that, a lengthy process will unfold which includes the death penalty review determining whether or not he will be sentenced to death, reports Clarke Silverglate from the Miami Law Firm.
Esteban who was in possession of a semi-automatic handgun that was coincidentally legally checked on a flight returning from Alaska, was said to have fired 15 rounds. Afterward, it seemed like he was out of bullets, whereas he threw away his firearm and lay flat on the floor waiting for officers.
Daily Mail reports that the people present at the airport at first thought the gunshots were firecrackers. George Piro, FBI agent stated, "There were not any recognized triggers that could have encouraged such an appalling incident."
But Santiago had his own reasons which ranged from "the government was controlling me" to "the CIA was forcing me to join ISIS". Of course, that does not apply as a motive and investigators are looking through his social media outlets.
The police found a picture of the criminal making a one-fingered salute before going on the crazy shooting rampage, which is very much similar to the Jihadi gesture; the one fingered salute.
"They've then got two weeks to indict him, and then they've got to go through the whole death penalty review," said former federal prosecutor David Weinstein, who is now a partner with Miami law firm Clarke Silverglate.
© 2023 Lawyer Herald All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Get the Most Popular Lawyerherald Stories in a Weekly Newsletter
Join the Discussion
