FILE – In this Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, file photo, Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz sits in the courtroom for issues dealing with procedural motions at the Broward Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. A status hearing is set for Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019, for Cruz in the Florida school massacre that killed 17 people in 2018. (Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool, File)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A status hearing is set for Nikolas Cruz in the Florida school massacre that killed 17 people last year.
The hearing Tuesday is likely to be mainly procedural in nature, with many months to go before the case gets close to trial. A tentative trial date has not yet been set.
The presiding judge has been closely monitoring the state’s release of evidence to the defense and the pace of Cruz attorney interviews of dozens of potential trial witnesses.
The 20-year-old Cruz faces first-degree murder and attempted murder charges in the Valentine’s Day 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
His attorneys have said he will plead guilty in exchange for a life prison sentence, but prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
By CURT ANDERSON
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