Parkland High School Shooter Nikolas Cruz to Plead Guilty

Nikolas Cruz, the gunman behind the fatal attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in 2018, is due to plead guilty to the murder of 17 people.

Per the Associated Press, Cruz’s attorneys said on Friday that the former student of the school will plead guilty to killing 14 students and three staff members in February 2018. The 23-year-old could face the death penalty after submitting his guilty plea, and is expected to at least get life in prison without the opportunity for parole.

Attorneys for Cruz informed Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer their client will plead guilty to 17 counts of first-degree murder, 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder, and to attacking a jail guard while behind bars. A trial following his guilty plea has yet to be set, but it’s already been hit with multiple delays throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“It is our intent to enter a change of plea as to both cases to all charges,” said one of Cruz’s lawyers, David Wheeler, the New York Times reported.

Prior to the shooting in February 2018, Cruz was expelled from Stoneman Douglas after a number of incidents at the school including at least one fight. During his time as a student, he was prohibited from wearing a backpack while at the school due to concerns he might conceal a weapon. After he was expelled, he shared photos and videos online of himself with guns. He threatened violence in multiple videos and posts, and had even expressed his desire to commit violence at Stoneman Douglas.

His mother died just four months before the shooting, and at least one anonymous sourced informed the FBI that Cruz might be planning an act of domestic terrorism due to concerns about his mental stability. Despite that call, the information was not provided to the south Florida FBI office, and an investigation was never launched.