Nikolas Cruz, Parkland high school shooting suspect, waives right to speedy trial

Typically, a felony defendant must go to trial within 175 days of arrest, unless he waives his right to a speedy trial.</s>FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Parkland school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz is due back in court Friday for a hearing designed to get the death penalty case moving forward.

The hearing Friday afternoon is expected to deal with several procedural issues, possibly including the setting of an initial trial date.

Cruz's public defender also is likely to ask to waive Florida's speedy trial rule. The rule generally requires that a felony defendant go to trial within 175 days of arrest unless it's waived.

Cruz, 19, is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

His lawyer says Cruz would plead guilty if he was guaranteed a sentence of life without parole, but prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>- Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz is back in court for a hearing designed to get the death penalty case moving forward.

The hearing Friday afternoon is expected to deal with several procedural issues, possibly including the setting of an initial trial date.

The hearing has been delayed a few minutes due to a shortage of courtroom staff.</s>FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz is due back in court for a hearing designed to get the death penalty case moving forward.

The hearing Friday afternoon is expected to deal with several procedural issues, possibly including the setting of an initial trial date.

RECOMMENDED: Why Nikolas Cruz's death penalty trial would be complicated

Cruz’s public defender also is likely to ask to waive Florida’s speedy trial rule. The rule generally requires that a felony defendant go to trial within 175 days of arrest unless it’s waived.

The 19-year-old Cruz is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

His lawyer says Cruz would plead guilty if guaranteed a sentence of life without parole, but prosecutors seek the death penalty.</s>FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) — Self-confessed Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz is expected to be in court Friday afternoon for a new hearing.

Attorneys will be dealing with several procedural issues including possibly setting a trial date.

Cruz’s public defender may also ask to waive a speedy trial. The rule generally requires that a felony defendant go to trial within 175 days of arrest unless it’s waived.

Cruz, 19, is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Broward County prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty despite his attorney’s offer of a guilty plea in exchange for a life sentence.

If prosecutors seek the death penalty, Cruz will join a short list of mass shooting suspects who’ve faced their victims in court. Of the 10 deadliest shootings in recent US history, Cruz is the only one who was captured alive.</s>Broward County, Fla. – A hearing is being held for Parkland School shooter Nicholas Cruz.

According to CNN, the defense is expected to waive a speedy trial and a court date may be set.

Cruz, 19, is the main suspect in the killing of 17 people at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, back on February 14.

Cruz faces 17 counts of first degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.

Prosecution in the case will be seeking the death penalty.

Nikolas Cruz and his brother might have $1 million in bank, attorney says</s>Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz appeared in court on Friday and waived his right to a speedy trial.

Cruz sat mute at the defense lawyers’ table with his head bowed during the brief hearing in Fort Lauderdale.

Cruz waived his right to a speedy trial through his attorney Melisa McNeill. Broward County Judge Elizabeth Scherer scheduled the next hearing for 1:30 p.m. May 25.

No trial date has been set.

“I don’t want this case treading water,” Scherer said.

Cruz faces 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. He killed 17 students and faculty at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on February 14 in one of the deadliest mass shootings in modern US history.

Cruz, 19, was arrested shortly after the shooting and has confessed to being the gunman, court documents show.

A judge entered a plea of not guilty on Cruz’s behalf when he was arraigned in March after his attorney told the judge the teen was standing mute to the charges, meaning he was declining to enter a plea.

Prosecutors had said they intended to seek the death penalty for Cruz, saying the shooting was “especially heinous, atrocious or cruel.”

Cruz’s defense team has said there is no question he did it, and he’s willing to plead guilty to avoid the death penalty.

Defense attorney Howard Finkelstein said he would prefer his client take a plea and serve 34 consecutive life sentences, one for each of the counts on which Cruz has been indicted.

The prosecution had expressed frustration after listening to the defense’s request.

“The state of Florida is not allowing Mr. Cruz to choose his own punishment,” Assistant State Attorney Shari Tate told the court at a previous hearing.

Scherer has received mail asking her to show mercy to Cruz. A three-page letter from a Minnesotan called the shooter “a vulnerable and disabled little boy inside a teenager’s body.”

More pieces of sympathetic mail from all over the United States and Europe have arrived at the county jail where Cruz is being held, according to the Broward County Public Defender’s Office.

Cruz appeared at a hearing on April 11 as a probate judge tried to determine whether taxpayers will pick up the tab for the teen’s defense or he can pay for his defense.</s>Cruz, 19, is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

His lawyer says Cruz would plead guilty if guaranteed a sentence of life without parole, but prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein has said there were so many warning signs that Cruz was mentally unstable and potentially violent, and that the death penalty might be going too far.

"Because that's what this case is about. Not, did he do it? Not, should he go free? Should he live or should he die," Finkelstein said in February.

Meanwhile, a student hailed as a hero for saving the lives of 20 students by attempting to close and lock a classroom door during the attack filed a lawsuit this month against Cruz, the family that took Cruz in, the estate of Cruz's deceased mother and several mental heath facilities.

Anthony Borges, 15, was shot five times. Weeks after the rampage, he fell critically ill of an intestinal infection, but has improved.

Three months before the shooting, Cruz moved in with James and Kimberly Snead. James Snead asserted that the family knew Cruz had guns and were OK with it, but there was also a gun safe, and Snead believed he possessed the only key.

Borges' lawsuit, however, claims that Cruz "had access to one or more of his guns, while residing at the Sneads' residence; and specifically, the AR-15 rifle that he subsequently used in committing the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School."

The Snead family's attorney said in response that his clients are "blameless," and "only guilty of opening their home up to a troubled young man whose mother just died so he had a place to live."

The shooting at Parkland has renewed calls for national gun reform, and sparked walkouts and rallies that have attracted tens of thousands of predominantly young people.</s>Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz, looks up while in court for a hearing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Friday, April 27, 2018. The hearing is expected to deal with several procedural issues possibly including setting an initial trial date. Cruz is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14, 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. (Taimy Alvarez/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A judge sought Friday to get things moving in the death penalty case against Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz.

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer set a May 4 deadline at a hearing Friday for defense lawyers to file a demand for evidence from prosecutors, who would then begin turning it over.

Scherer also granted a request by Cruz's public defender to waive Florida's speedy trial rule. The rule generally requires that a felony defendant go to trial within 175 days of arrest unless it's waived, which is commonly done in complex or major cases because the defense typically needs more time to prepare.

"I explained to him his constitutional right to a speedy trial," assistant public defender Melisa McNeill said.

The judge set a May 25 hearing to gauge progress in the case "so we can move things along and set a proposed trial date."

"I don't want this case treading water," Scherer said.

Cruz, 19, is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. His lawyers have repeatedly said Cruz would plead guilty if guaranteed a sentence of life without parole, but prosecutors seek the death penalty.

As in past hearings, Cruz spoke only to his lawyers and sat shackled at a defense table with his head bowed. He made no eye contact with the audience, which included his younger brother, Zachary.

Also Friday, attorneys for the family of shooting victim Joaquin Oliver, 17, called on the Broward County School Board not to attempt to limit total liability in future lawsuits to only $300,000. A lawyer for the board has signaled that the Stoneman Douglas shooting should be considered a single occurrence with numerous victims — which would impose that dollar limit — rather than 34 separate occurrences.

"The school board is watching after its financial best interest instead of that of the families it has publicly claimed it would continuously support," said Michael Haggard, who represents the Oliver family in one of many expected lawsuits against several government entities.

The school board issued a statement saying it is following state law in terms of the caps on damages a government agency can be forced to pay in a lawsuit. The statement added that schools officials are actively involved in several efforts to raise money for victims and families and suggested they could also seek a larger payment from the Florida Legislature.

"The district remains committed to providing support and resources for all those impacted by this tragedy," the statement said.

Elsewhere, the Broward school board is looking into claims that a Stoneman Douglas teacher said a student was acting like Adolf Hitler.

The SunSentinel reports the controversy involves history teacher Greg Pittman, who supports gun control, and junior Kyle Kashuv, who has defended gun rights after the mass shooting at their school.

Kashuv tweeted that three students told him Pittman said "Kyle is acting like the next Hitler."

Kashuv had complained about being questioned by school security after posting photos of him holding an AR-15 assault rifle at a gun range.

The paper says Pittman then tweeted that "you don't have to be the sharpest tack in the box" to understand why authorities might ask questions after a school shooting.</s>Confessed school shooter Nikolas Cruz appeared in a Fort Lauderdale court on Friday afternoon for a procedural issues hearing, keeping his head mostly hung low and his eyes on the ground.

The 19-year-old gunman charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder after he opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida on February 14 didn't utter a word as his attorney waived his right to a speedy trial.

Broward County Judge Elizabeth Scherer scheduled the next hearing for May 25, where lawyers will discuss how to move forward with the case, including which witnesses to depose first.

A trial date has not yet been set.

'I don't want this case treading water,' judge Scherer said, according to the CNN.

Cruz's younger half-brother, Zachary, was present for the hearing. The 18-year-old, who was sentenced in March to six months probation for trespassing on Marjory Stoneman's campus, sat expressionless in the courtroom.

Cruz was arrested shortly after the February 14 massacre, which left 17 students and staff members dead. Court documents show that he has confessed to being the shooter.

Last month, Cruz entered a plea of not guilty through his attorney Melisa McNeill after she told a judge that Cruz chose to stand mute on the charges, meaning he was declining to enter a plea.

Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty for Cruz saying the attack was 'especially heinous, atrocious or cruel'.

A judge on Tuesday ruled that Cruz will continue to be represented in the death penalty case by a public defender because he only has about $28,000 in assets and that's not enough money to hire a private lawyer.

'The court finds that this is not a typical felony case, or even a typical capital felony case,' judge Sherer wrote.

Public Defender Howard Finkelstein said in an email that Scherer 'made the right ruling under the law and the unique nature of this case.'

Finkelstein repeated that Cruz will plead guilty if prosecutors waive the death penalty, which they have declined to do.

'We still believe it is in the best interests of the families and the community to end this case now rather than take a 20-year march to impose the death penalty which will link them for decades to the person who killed their loved one,' he said.

According to the judge's order, Cruz's major known asset is $25,000 from a life insurance policy taken out by his mother, Lynda Cruz, who died in November. Scherer noted, however, that Cruz has no access to that money while in jail and it's unclear what in his mother's estate might benefit him.

'Whether or not (Cruz) will ultimately receive any monies from his mother's estate is not known,' Scherer wrote.

Cruz also has $2,200 in Microsoft stock, $700 in a Broward County Jail commissary account and $353 in a bank account, the order says.

Scherer added that if more assets are identified for Cruz that 'would afford him the ability to retain private counsel' she would revisit his status as indigent.
Nikolas Cruz, the accused suspect of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, is due to be in court. The hearing is expected to deal with several procedural issues, possibly including the setting of an initial trial date.