A notice of intent has been filed by prosecutors seeking the death penalty for Nikolas Cruz on Tuesday for allegedly killing 17 people on Valentine’s Day in a Florida high school.
The defendant Cruz is scheduled for an arraignment Wednesday on 34 counts of a formal indictment. He walked into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High school with an assault rifle AR-15 and opened fire, has been charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.
A lawyer for Nikolas Cruz has earlier said the 19-year old would enter a guilty plea should prosecutors not pursue the death penalty. The notice of intent doesn’t necessarily rule out the possibility of a plea deal to be reached.
Life imprisonment without parole remains the only other penalty for Nikolas Cruz.
Neba Benson,
BaretaNews Foreign Correspondent/Analyst