Video After The Jump
Oct 20 (Reuters) - Accused shooter Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty on Wednesday to 17 counts of murder & 17 counts of attempted murder in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, the deadliest ever at a U.S. high school.
At a hearing, Cruz, 23, stood hunched over & entered one guilty plea at a time as the judge read off the charges. His lawyer, David Wheeler, Broward County's chief assistant public defender, said last week Cruz intended to plead guilty in the Valentine's Day attack.
Cruz was a 19-year-old expelled student with a history of mental health & behavioral issues at the time of the "cold, calculated & premeditated" killings, Broward County's State's Attorney Office said.
After the pleas were entered, Cruz removed his COVID-19 mask & apologized to his victims.
'May I take off my mask?" he asked before saying: 'I am very sorry for what I did and I have to live with it everyday. If I were to get a second chance I would do everything in my power to help others.'
'I do not care if you don't believe me,' he said to the court, adding that he now gets 'nightmares sometimes & can't even watch TV anymore.' 'I hate drugs & I believe this country would do better if everyone would stop smoking marijuana... I'm trying my best to maintain my composure & I just want you to know that I'm really sorry.'
Because prosecutors have vowed to seek the death penalty, his change of plea from not guilty opens the penalty phase. A jury would decide whether he should be sentenced to life in prison or death.
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