FLL Shooter To Spend Life In Prison After Accepting Plea Deal

The man who confessed to killing five people and injuring six during a shooting at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport pleaded guilty Wednesday to numerous charges.

Esteban Santiago, a former U.S. Army Iraq War veteran who was diagnosed with schizophrenia, was in federal court in Miami Wednesday morning for a mental competency hearing. His attorney said he was legally competent.

Santiago plead guilty to five counts of committing violence causing death at an international airport and six counts of committing violence causing serious bodily injury at an international airport.

Under the terms of the please agreement, prosecutors won't be seeking the death penalty and Santiago, 28, will be sentenced to five life terms plus 120 years without a right to appeal. 

Santiago confessed to firing his gun 15 times in January 2017, after arriving in Fort Lauderdale on a one-way Delta Airlines flight from Alaska. Authorities said he used a 9mm handgun with two loaded ammunition clips.

Olga Welterkng, 84, Shirley Timmons, 70, Mary Amzibel, 69, Terry Andres, 62, and Michael Oehme, 56, were killed in the shooting. 


Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content