Ex-student charged in Florida shooting silent in court
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The former student charged with killing 17 people at a Florida high school last month remained silent in court Wednesday and had a not guilty plea entered on his behalf as police released more recordings that captured the terror of the Valentine’s Day slayings.
Nikolas Cruz, shackled and wearing red jail clothes, sat in the jury box with his head bowed and said nothing during the brief hearing. Because he refused to announce his plea, the judge entered it for him on each of the 34 counts he faces.
His attorney Assistant Public Defender Melisa McNeill reiterated that Cruz would plead guilty if prosecutors waived the death penalty, which they refused to do.
Cruz is accused of carrying out the massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida that also wounded 17 people in a case that has reignited a national debate about gun control and school safety. It also prompted a nationwide walkout of thousands of students Wednesday, who showed solidarity with the Parkland students a month after the shooting.


