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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (CBSMiami) – It’s a time galore successful the Parkland assemblage and crossed South Florida person been waiting for. On Wednesday, Parkland schoolhouse shooter Nikolas Cruz pleaded blameworthy to 17 counts of premeditated execution and 17 counts of attempted execution stemming from the February 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School — the deadliest precocious schoolhouse shooting in US history.
Cruz entered the courtroom conscionable earlier 9:30 a.m. looking calm and wearing a bluish sweater implicit a grey shirt.
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Also successful the courtroom were victims and household members of those who died including Anthony Borges, who survived aft being shot; Tony Montalto, whose girl Gina was killed; Gena and Tom Hoyer, whose lad Luke was killed; and Debi Hixson, whose hubby Chris was killed.
Wednesday’s proceeding started with Judge Scherer asking him respective questions to measure his competency. She past explained to him what a beingness condemnation meant. She explained that counts 1-17 carried a beingness condemnation and asked if helium understood.
He replied yes to her questions.
She past explained the situation requirements of counts 18-34 and asked if helium understood. He replied yes.
She past asked if helium understood that by entering a blameworthy plea to the counts that helium would beryllium waiving his rights to appeal. He replied yes.
Judge Scherer past work each of the counts and asked however helium wished to plea. Cruz replied ‘guilty’ to each one.
WATCH: Nikolaus Cruz plead blameworthy to each 34 counts
Judge Scherer past accepted Cruz’s plea.
“I find that you are alert and intelligent, that you person made an informed determination with the proposal of counsel. I find that you person made this decison aft going implicit and knowing each of your rights and that you are knowingly, voluntarily, and intelligently waiving each and each 1 of the rights that I went implicit with you today,” said Judge Scherer.
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The defence past made a connection detailing the time of the shooting and those who were shot. Cruz past apologized to the victims’ families.
WATCH: Nikolas Cruz apology for Parkland massacre
“I americium precise atrocious for what I did and I person to unrecorded with it each day. If I were to get a 2nd accidental I would bash everything successful my powerfulness to assistance others and I americium doing this for you and I bash not attraction if you bash not judge me. I emotion you and I cognize that you bash not judge me. I person to unrecorded with this each time and it brings maine nightmares. I can’t unrecorded with myself sometimes but I effort to propulsion done due to the fact that I cognize that is what you guys would privation maine to do,” helium said.
WATCH: Emotional time successful tribunal for the victims’ families
The lawsuit volition present determination to the punishment phase.
Defense attorneys are hoping to debar the decease punishment and volition apt contiguous Cruz’s past of intelligence unwellness to jurors, attempting to reason for a beingness condemnation instead.
Cruz said the victims’ families and not a assemblage should beryllium the ones to determine if helium lives oregon dies. He said helium understood his stance was successful contradiction to the law.
Given the case’s notoriety, Judge Scherer plans to surface thousands of prospective jurors for the punishment phase. Hearings are scheduled passim November and December, with a extremity to commencement grounds successful January.
Last week, Cruz stood earlier Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer and pleaded blameworthy to attempted aggravated battery connected a instrumentality enforcement officer, and 3 different charges successful the lawsuit of the jailhouse beating of a Broward Sheriff’s deputy, 9 months aft the schoolhouse shootings.
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At the Wednesday hearing, Judge Scherer said she accepted blameworthy pleas. He was sentenced to 25 years successful situation minus clip served positive a twelvemonth successful jail.
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