Accused killer in court
Cruz emotionless as he faces 17 murder charges
NIKOLAS Cruz, 19, the former student accused of killing 17 people at a Florida high school, sat without showing any emotion, keeping his head down, as he appeared in court on Monday for a procedural hearing, his first public appearance since his arrest.
Wearing a prison jumpsuit, he did not make eye contact with the judge or others in the courtroom.
His lawyers have said he will plead guilty if prosecutors agree not to pursue the death penalty. No decision has been made on that.
The hearing before Judge Elizabeth Scherer in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, dealt with whether to unseal a defence motion related to access to their client, a minor point in what is certain to be a long prosecution and trial.
Cruz has been charged on 17 counts of premeditated murder, one each for the students and staff who were shot to death last Wednesday during a killing spree at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
It is the deadliest shooting ever at a US high school.
Cruz was able to legally buy an AR-15 assault rifle despite numerous red flags that many agencies, including the FBI, failed to act upon.
Services for 14 Stoneman Douglas students, the athletic director, a coach and a geography teacher began on Friday and will end in the next few days. The shooting at the school has put pressure on Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature to consider gun-control laws.
On the other side of the nation, in Los Angeles, hundreds of sign-carrying, chanting protesters converged on a park on Monday, demanding tougher background checks and other gun-safety measures.
The hearing ended with Judge Elizabeth Scherer ruling that a defence motion filed last week remain sealed from public view.