FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A judge is holding a hearing on an effort by attorneys for Florida school-shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz to block public release of parts of what police call his confession in the Valentine’s Day massacre.
FILE – In this April 27, 2018 file photo, Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz, looks up while in court for a hearing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A status hearing on the murder and other charges facing Cruz is scheduled for Friday, May 25 in Fort Lauderdale. No trial date has been set for Cruz, who could get the death penalty if convicted. His attorneys have said he would plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. (Taimy Alvarez/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool, File)
The hearing Friday concerns a motion claiming that parts of the statement “will cause significant trauma to an already beleaguered community” rocked by the shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The motion also says that releasing the statement would violate Cruz’s constitutional rights to a fair trial and against self-incrimination.
The 19-year-old Cruz is charged with 17 counts of first-degree murder for the Feb. 14 shooting. His lawyers say he will plead guilty in exchange for a life prison sentence but prosecutors have refused to waive the death penalty.
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