Dimitrios Pagourtzis was arrested on Friday following the school shooting at Santa Fe High School in Texas, and was booked by the Galveston County Sheriff’s Department for capital murder.
However, if he does wind up being convicted for the deaths of nine students and one teacher in the shooting, he will not face the death penalty. In fact, he could be paroled by the time he’s 57 years-old.
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In 2005, the Supreme Court ruled it unconstitutional for anyone under the age of 18 to face execution for committing a crime, and a 2012 ruling made it illegal to give a prisoner a life without parole ruling. Given that Pagourtzis is only 17, the first ruling would apply to him.
Following that ruling, Texas created a law that requires all criminals convicted of murder, regardless of age, to serve at least 40 years in prison.
Prior to that 2005 ruling, Texas led the nation in juvenile executions, enforcing 11 of the 22 that took place between 1985-2003 in the United States.
Pagourtzis admitted to committing the shooting in a probably cause affidavit on Friday afternoon. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said in a press conference that Pagourtzis used a .38 revolver and a shotgun to commit the act, both of which legally belonged to his father.
His family released a statement on the shooting on Saturday via a law firm.
“We extend our most heartfelt prayers and condolences to all of the victims. We also wish to thank all the first responders from all over Texas that assisted in rendering aid and support,” the statement read. “We are as shocked and confused as anyone else by these events that occurred. We are gratified by the public comments made by other Santa Fe High School students that show Dimitri as we know him: a smart, quiet, sweet boy. While we remain mostly in the dark about the specifics of yesterday’s tragedy, what we have learned from media reports seems incompatible with the boy we love.”
The statement continued: “We share the public’s hunger for answers as to why this happened, and will await the outcome of the investigation before speaking about these events. We have been and will continue to cooperate with the authorities conducting the investigation, and ask for the public’s patience while it moves forward. We ask the public to please extend privacy, both to the victims and to our own family, as all of us try process these events, and begin the healing process.”
