Deliberations: Parents On Trial For Texas School Shooting

Texas jury to resume deliberations in civil case against Santa Fe High School shooter's parents

A Texas jury is expected to resume deliberations this week on whether the parents of the Santa Fe High School shooter, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, should be held financially liable for the shooting that killed 10 people and injured 13 others on May 18, 2018. The civil lawsuit, brought by families of the victims, seeks at least $1 million in damages from Pagourtzis' parents, Antonios Pagourtzis and Rose Marie Kosmetatos.

After hearing testimony from victims' families, the jury began deliberating on 24 charges against the parents on Friday.

Prosecution: "It was their son, under their roof, with their guns."

Prosecutors argue that the parents are partially responsible for the tragedy due to their failure to restrict access to firearms and address their son's mental health issues.

"It was their son, under their roof, with their guns who went and committed this mass shooting," Clint McGuire, representing victims, told jurors.

Pagourtzis, 17 at the time, has been charged with capital murder, but the criminal case was paused in 2019 after he was found incompetent to stand trial. He remains in custody at North Texas State Hospital.

Defense: "The parents didn't pull the trigger."

Lori Laird, the defense attorney, argued that Pagourtzis' mental break couldn't have been predicted and that he kept his plans secret. She also claimed the family's guns were locked up.

"The parents didn’t pull the trigger, the parents didn’t give him a gun," Laird said.

However, McGuire presented evidence, including a shirt with "Born to Kill" on it and journal entries referring to the shooting, to refute the defense's claims.

The civil trial was initiated by family members of the deceased and wounded victims. During closing arguments, attorneys spoke about the devastating impact of the shooting and the lives lost.

"We can't send our kids to school and bring them home in body bags," McGuire said.

Laird maintained that Pagourtzis' parents had no indication of their son's plans, presenting photos of him appearing "normal" before the shooting. She accused the prosecution of "making a case out of nothing."

"He was sneaky, he was sly, he didn't want to get caught," Laird said of Pagourtzis.

Sources/URLs:

• ABC Houston: Closing arguments set to begin in Santa Fe High School shooting civil trial