He deserved the death penalty, but he would be sitting on death row for decades of appeals before his execution would ever happen. Justice would be a quick round of appeals and his date with death before the end of next year. However, one could hope that other inmates might serve out their justice on a child killer.
Death row is a much worse place to be that prison. Ghislaine Maxwell is “imprisoned” at a resort. Nikolas Cruz may end up there.