The parents of accused shooter Dimitrios Pagourtzis were found not liable in the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting that left 10 people dead and 13 others injured.
A three week trial targeting the shooter’s parents Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos, who prosecutors said failed to prevent the massacre and get psychiatric treatment for their son, came to a halt late Monday when a jury found the pair not legally liable.
“You know when you leave there today know that your voice will be heard and your message will be clear,” Galveston County Judge Jack Ewing said to the jury before they were dismissed Monday. “We need to protect our children. They need to feel safe when they go to school.”
The jury overwhelmingly determined Dimitrios Pagourtzis and ammunition company Lucky Gunner were entirely responsible for the shooting.
Attorneys in the case presented closing statements Aug. 16, when Defense Attorney Lori Laird argued 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 any amount of this, 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 led by family members of the shooting victims. But it still remains unclear how they will receive the millions of dollars owed to them while Pagourtzis remains in a state hospital.