Attorney: Cruz to plead guilty to Parkland school massacre

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The gunman who killed 14 students and 3 unit members astatine a Parkland, Florida, precocious schoolhouse volition plead blameworthy to their murders, his attorneys said Friday, bringing immoderate closure to a South Florida assemblage much than 3 years aft an onslaught that sparked a nationwide question for weapon control.

The blameworthy plea would acceptable up a punishment signifier wherever Nikolas Cruz, 23, would beryllium warring against the decease punishment and hoping for beingness without parole.

Attorneys for Cruz told Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer that helium volition plead blameworthy Wednesday to 17 counts of first-degree execution successful the February 2018 shooting astatine Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The pleas volition travel with nary conditions and prosecutors inactive program to question the decease penalty. That volition beryllium decided by a jury, but that proceedings has not been scheduled.

Cruz volition besides plead blameworthy to 17 counts of attempted first-degree execution and to attacking a jailhouse defender 9 months aft the shooting. He was not contiguous during the hearing.

The proceedings has been delayed by the pandemic and arguments betwixt the prosecution and defence implicit what grounds and grounds could beryllium presented to the jury. Some victims’ families had expressed vexation implicit the delays, but the president of the radical they formed expressed alleviation that the lawsuit present seems person to resolution.

“We conscionable anticipation the strategy gives him justice,” said Tony Montalto of Stand With Parkland. His 14-year-old daughter, Gina, died successful the shooting.

The determination by Cruz and his attorneys to plead blameworthy came unexpectedly. Preparations were being made to statesman assemblage enactment wrong the adjacent fewer months. He had been acceptable to spell connected proceedings adjacent week for the attack connected the Broward County jailhouse guard.

Cruz and his lawyers had agelong offered to plead blameworthy successful speech for a beingness sentence, but prosecutors had repeatedly rejected that deal, saying the lawsuit deserved a decease sentence.

Cruz’s rampage crushed the veneer of information successful Parkland, an upper-middle-class assemblage extracurricular Fort Lauderdale with small crime. Its acquisition crown jewel is Stoneman Douglas, a field of 3,200 students that is 1 of the top-ranked nationalist schools successful the state.

Cruz was a longtime, but troubled resident. Since preschool helium had been treated for affectional problems and was known by neighbors for torturing animals. Broward sheriff’s deputies were often called to the location successful an upscale vicinity helium shared with his widowed parent and younger member for disturbances, but they said thing was ever reported that could person led to his arrest. A authorities committee that investigated the shooting agreed.

Cruz alternated betwixt accepted schools and those for troubled students. In 1 twelvemonth of mediate school, helium averaged 3 disciplinary incidents per month.

He attended Stoneman Douglas starting successful 10th grade, but his troubles remained — astatine 1 point, helium was prohibited from carrying a backpack to marque definite helium didn’t transportation a weapon. Still, helium was allowed to enactment connected the school’s firearm team.

He was expelled astir a twelvemonth earlier the onslaught aft galore incidents of antithetic behaviour and astatine slightest 1 fight. He began posting photos online of himself with guns and made videos threatening to perpetrate violence, including astatine the school. It was astir this clip helium purchased the AR-15 semiautomatic firearm helium would usage successful the shooting.

When Cruz’s parent died of pneumonia successful November 2017, 4 months earlier the shooting, helium began staying with friends, taking his 10 guns with him.

Someone, disquieted astir his affectional state, called the FBI a period earlier the shooting to pass agents helium mightiness termination people. The accusation was ne'er forwarded to the agency’s South Florida bureau and Cruz was ne'er investigated oregon contacted.

Another acquaintance called the Broward Sheriff’s Office with a akin warning, but erstwhile the lawman learned Cruz was past surviving with a household person successful neighboring Palm Beach County helium told the caller to interaction that sheriff’s office.

In the weeks earlier the shooting, Cruz began making videos proclaiming helium was going to beryllium the “next schoolhouse shooter of 2018.” Shortly earlier the massacre, helium made 1 wherever helium said, “Today is the day. Today it each begins. The time of my massacre shall begin.”

The shooting happened connected Valentine’s Day, minutes earlier the extremity of the schoolhouse day. Students had exchanged balloons, flowers and different gifts and galore were dressed successful red.

Cruz, past 19, arrived astatine the field that day successful an Uber, assembled his firearm successful a bath and past opened occurrence connected students and unit members, the fume from his firearm mounting disconnected the occurrence alarm.

Outside the building, sheriff’s lawman Scot Peterson, the school’s longtime assets officer, heard the shots but did not participate the gathering — helium drew his weapon and hid down a file and wall, video shows. He told investigators helium did not cognize wherever the shots were coming from, but they said his vigor transmissions amusement helium did.

Peterson has been charged with felony kid neglect for allegedly failing to support the students and perjury for allegedly lying to investigators. He has pleaded not blameworthy and proclaimed his innocence successful interviews. He resigned soon aft the shooting earlier helium could beryllium fired.

Cruz yet dropped his firearm and fled, blending successful with his victims arsenic constabulary officers arrived and stormed the building. He was captured astir an hr aboriginal walking done a residential neighborhood. Later that night, helium confessed to detectives.

A authorities probe recovered galore information lapses not conscionable astatine Stoneman Douglas but astatine schools statewide. The shooting led to a authorities instrumentality that requires each Florida nationalist schools to person an equipped defender connected field during people hours.