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Suspect in 2018 Parkland school shooting plans to enter guilty plea on all charges

Nikolas Cruz
Posted at 2:05 AM, Oct 15, 2021
and last updated 2022-07-21 09:36:02-04

The suspected gunman in a 2018 school shooting that left 17 people dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, plans to plead guilty to all charges, his lawyers said Friday.

Lawyers for Nikolas Cruz said Friday that the 23-year-old former student at the school would enter a guilty plea to 17 murder charges and 17 charges of attempted murder next week.

Once Cruz pleads guilty, a jury will decide whether he should be sentenced to death or be given a life sentence.

Cruz on Friday also pleaded guilty to four charges linked to an incident in jail involving a Broward County Jail detention officer.

Prosecutors say Cruz carried out a mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14, 2018, that left 17 students and staff members dead. Police say Cruz issued a confession shortly after he was arrested.

This story is breaking and will be updated.