Nikolas Cruz, the now 23-year-old gunman who killed 14 students and three staff members at a Parkland, Florida, high school three years ago, will plead guilty to 17 murders, his attorneys announced this morning.
Lawyers for Cruz told Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer that he will plead guilty on Wednesday to 17 counts of first-degree murder for the February 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
The pleas will not come with any conditions and prosecutors still plan to seek the death penalty in this case, which will decided by a jury.
This morning’s announcement will hopefully bring some closure to the South Florida community that was devastated by the attack more than three years ago.
The Parkland School shooting sparked a nationwide movement for gun control. Parkland student activists formed “March for Our Lives” after the shooting and the group rallied hundreds of thousands around the country to push for tighter gun laws, including a nationally televised march on Washington.
