BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. — Nikolas Cruz, the primary suspect in the deadly 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, pleaded guilty Friday to four counts of battery against a jail guard and is expected to plead guilty next week to 17 counts of first-degree murder.
What You Need To Know
During an emergency hearing in Broward County on Friday morning, Cruz pleaded guilty to the battery counts. The attack against Broward County jail guard Sgt. Raymond Beltran came nearly nine months after the shooting that left 17 people dead and wounded dozens more.
Cruz's public defender, attorney David Wheeler, told Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer that Cruz, 23, plans to plead guilty to 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder for the Feb. 14, 2018 mass shooting in Parkland.
That plea is expected on Wednesday, Oct. 20. Because those pleas have no conditions attached to them, and prosecutors are planning to seek the death penalty, a jury will still have to decide Cruz's fate.
However, that jury trial has not been scheduled.
Cruz was not in the hearing originally, but Judge Scherer requested that he be present. After a 15-minute recess, Cruz walked in wearing a Navy blue sweater over a white-collared shirt and wearing khaki.
(File photo of Nikolas Cruz)-
