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Tucson gunman faces victims before receiving life sentence

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    Judge Napolitano reacts to court procedure that included Gabby Giffords

  • Duration 4:49
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This transcript is automatically generated

It's not a lot of emotion and and frankly some politics in court today now.

Yeah that's right mark Kelly Gabby Giffords husband did get all political today shot inside the court are expecting to hear from him or get me in that news conference but inside the courtroom when he was addressing -- He was very critical of Arizona governor.

-- Jan Brewer and the legislature here in Arizona for the gun laws and then judge Larry Burns seemed to agree questioning.

Why it was legal for Loughner to have a gun magazine that allowed him to bring nine -- bullets out sixty mag sixty bulls and one magazine.

-- that day other victims also spoke of tighter gun laws and the need for better mental health services.

Laughter of course several was knows -- was diagnosed.

With schizophrenia everyone seemed to know it at his community college and yet he got no treatment -- what what else do we hear today from the victims.

-- a lot of powerful emotional stuff not just from.

You know Ron if we just heard from -- -- -- everyone here.

I was talking about the victims you know six people died that day including a federal judge a nine year old girl -- an -- to Gabby Giffords but -- -- these Gifford's husband mark Kelly really.

Had a -- riveted the entire time he was speaking.

With Gabby standing right next to him he told -- through that she would trade her life for any of the victims.

He talked about her daily struggles.

Her struggle to speak for struggle to walk.

He told law after he may have put a bullet through Gabby is head what he did not dent her spirit of the US attorney -- went on to say that democracy was attacked that day.

As for the life in prison with no chance for parole sentence all of the victims who have spoken publicly say that they agree with that they did not want to go through -- lengthy trial.

Just to have him.

Suffer execution is so it seems like everyone's -- here we will hear later on this news conference.

From the district attorney here in Pima County he has not said whether or not.

He supports going for more charges including the death penalty here we'll hear from him later on -- Dan Springer in Tucson this afternoon Dan thanks for thinking of the judge Fox News senior judicial analyst judge Andrew Napolitano -- here.

Life on top alive on top for more on that well you know the the penalty really was and determined at the time.

The government accepted his and the court accepted the the the guilty plea.

So what went on today was really an effort by the court to.

For lack a better phrase left the victims come to closure but given them their say.

To the face of the person that and committed these horrific crimes.

Now a lot of judges and are crazy about this because it's largely irrelevant to the proceedings because as I said there's no.

This -- though -- room for discretion in imposing the sentence he agreed to serve a life sentence for each one of the people -- harmed.

And that's the sentence that would be imposed no matter what these people said but the courts have concluded that allowing them to say these things is better for everybody.

Involved and that's why we go through the occasional case ship.

-- -- victim or say something to the judge that the -- didn't think about didn't know of four forgot about and that might change.

The sentence but that's not the case here and that is indeed rare for that to happen wrapped in all of this was some discussion of whether we pay enough attention to people's mental health and stability.

In cases like this.

Well as Dan just reported -- the college that this kid attended knew that he had very very serious mental issues.

Look if you -- I have -- next our neighbor that we think has mental issues we don't have to do anything about it but if we are a hospital or health care professional.

Or an administrator of a college where that person is is that employed or works and there is a student we have an obligation to do something about it.

And that school in Arizona didn't do anything doesn't mean if they did something this wouldn't have happened.

But -- it might have prevented and that might have cooled to the attention of law enforcement the danger that this guy posts.

Jared Lee -- -- parents escorted out a side door our producers they're tell us.

And they cried through the whole thing and and frankly to to quote our producers and they just looked awful well this imagine this -- like this a killer for them.

As well -- could never live with themselves knowing that this is person has their son.

And he did these horrible things you know -- not a who done -- there's no question but that what he what he did.

And the horrific harm that he caused and how unexpected it was.

Even to his parents I dare say they've suffered as much as the family of the victims our producer in the courtroom tells us that Gabby Giffords and her husband the astronaut mark Kelly.

Hoped for an entire minute when this proceeding had finished said something quiet to each other.

And that was that and they say this happy couple say they will not think of or discuss.

The killer in this case ever again.

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