Parkland school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz enters the courtroom for a hearing at the Broward Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2019. Cruz returned court this week for hearings on the Valentine’s Day 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and on accusations he assaulted a corrections officer. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)
WATCH THE LIVE STREAM HERE AT 2:30PM ET
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A judge is set to consider whether Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz should still be supervised by a corrections officer he is accused of assaulting.
Cruz’s lawyers want Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer on Wednesday to stop Cruz from being supervised by Sgt. Raymond Beltran. Cruz is kept segregated from other prisoners and is under close watch at the Broward County Jail.
Authorities say Cruz attacked Beltran in November amid increasing friction between the two. Cruz faces several felony charges related to that incident. Beltran remains as his lead corrections officer.
The 20-year-old Cruz faces the death penalty if convicted in the Valentine’s Day shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. His lawyers have offered a guilty plea in exchange for life in prison, but prosecutor reject that.
By CURT ANDERSON
© Copyright 2018 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
