Alaska man Esteban Santiago gets life in prison for Florida airport shooting

Curt Anderson, AP Legal Affairs Writer Published 11:43 a.m. ET Aug. 17, 2018

MIAMI (AP) — An Alaska man will spend the rest of his life in prison for the January 2017 Florida airport shooting that left five people dead and six wounded.

A judge imposed the sentence Friday upon 28-year-old Esteban Santiago, who pleaded guilty in May to 11 charges in a plea deal in which prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.

Santiago, of Anchorage, Alaska, admitted he opened fire with a handgun in a baggage area at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.

An Iraq war veteran, Santiago is diagnosed as schizophrenic but was found competent to understand legal proceedings.

Santiago initially told the FBI after the shooting he was under government mind control, then switched to unfounded claims he acted in support of the Islamic State extremist group.

https://www.naplesnews.com/story/news/local/florida/2018/08/17/esteban-santiago-gets-life-prison-florida-fort-lauderdale-hollywood-international-airport-shooting/1018810002/