Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old behind the shooting in a Florida high school that left 17 dead and 16 wounded, was indicted on 34 counts Wednesday, including 17 counts of premeditated murder. This means he could face the death penalty.
JUST IN: Grand jury indicts Nikolas Cruz on 34 counts, including 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder pic.twitter.com/D3pEPyODuj
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 7, 2018
The Broward County Grand Jury charged Cruz with 17 counts of premeditated murder in the first degree and 17 counts of attempted murder in the first degree.
According to a probable cause affidavit, Cruz confessed to police on February 15th that he was the gunman.
Cruz’s public defender reportedly described him as a "deeply disturbed, emotionally broken" young man. He said Cruz is willing to plead guilty if the death penalty is taken off the table.
The Broward County state attorney hasn’t announced a decision on the death penalty, according to the Associated Press.
One of the survivors of the horrific Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, Kyle Kashuv, who told Townhall about the incident earlier this week, responded to the news of the charges on social media.
Rot in prison, you piece of human trash. https://t.co/Z7gkCb3TTr
— Kyle Kashuv (@KyleKashuv) March 7, 2018