Nikolas Cruz, who allegedly shot and killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Parkland, Florida in 2018, will reportedly plead guilty Friday rather than going to trial.
The trial was expected to begin last week, but after a delay, it was expected to begin next week. Now there won’t be any trial as the 23-year-old will plead guilty to all 17 counts of attempted murder and all 17 counts of premeditated murder in the school shooting that also wounded more than a dozen people, reported WSVN.
Three years ago, on Valentine's Day (Feb.14), the suspect allegedly entered the school wearing a gas mask and was armed with a rifle and smoke grenades. He then set off a fire alarm to make people leave classrooms. He allegedly opened fire and killed three staff members and 14 students at the school, and then got arrested about a mile away in a residential neighborhood, reported Fox News.
Artist Manuel Oliver, father of victim Joaquin Oliver, said that he found Cruz guilty in the Parkland School massacre since the last few years. He added, "We all know he is guilty, and finally, he knows he is guilty and will share that. That is fine.”
The defense team of the suspect didn't want death penalty for him and earlier said that he would plead guilty for life in prison without parole, but prosecutors didn't agree to it indicating that they would seek a death sentence in this case. Oliver feels glad it is not that easy for Cruz to get rid of the death penalty.
The Public Defender’s Office did not deny or confirm that the suspect would be pleading guilty, but his attorneys will officially announce his plea Friday.
Former Stoneman Douglas teacher Jim Gard hopes this is a "big step to some kind of closure."
Former Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein said that the attorney of the suspect likely hopes that by confessing to the crime and not going through a trial, it would be a plus point when it comes to deciding whether he should be given death penalty or not. Finkelstein said that the defense team is hoping to get one juror, and if one out of 12 jurors says "he should live, then that is what the verdict will be.”
He will also reportedly plead guilty to battery on a jail guard of a Broward County in November 2018. Surveillance footage showed Sergeant Raymond Beltran getting punched by Cruz in a brawl that lasted almost 60 seconds.
