[ad_1]
Public defenders representing Nikolas Cruz must continue to defend the young man, who was accused of mass shooting in a high school in Parkland, Florida, last year. This despite their recent demand for withdrawal after learning that he would inherit more than $ 430,000.
Constituency Judge Elizabeth Scherer said Friday that public defenders from Broward County would remain on Cruz's case, saying it was unlikely that the 20-year-old would receive the vast legacy left by her husband. deceased mother.
Public defenders had demanded that Cruz be required to hire a private attorney with his inheritance because of a Florida law, according to which the office can only represent indigent defendants.
NIKOLAS CRUZ SHOOTER OF THE PARKLAND SCHOOL PLANS THE PUBLIC DEFENDERS TO ASK FOR THE WITHDRAWAL
Scherer said in his ruling that Cruz had not asked for money – and if he did, he would likely be sued through lawsuits filed by the families of his victims.
Cruz is accused of killing 17 people and injuring 17 others at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018. Cruz stated that he wanted all the money that went into it. He would receive from the estate of his mother, Lynda Cruz, be handed over to the families of the victims.
Defender Nikolas Cruz, a shooting suspect in a Parkland school, will continue to be represented by Broward County public defenders, despite their recent application to strike the case because of an important legacy that Cruz could receive from his late mother. (Amy Beth Bennett / Sun-Sentinel from South Florida via AP, Pool)
Scherer wrote that she "can not presume at the present time" that Cruz will receive the money, which is about $ 300,000 after taxes.
At Wednesday's hearing, Diane Cuddihy, Assistant Public Defense, asserted that even though Cruz had not received any money, he was entitled to it. That was enough, she says, to make him destitute under state law. She and her colleagues thought they could not represent him anymore. She never said that they did not want to represent him, though.
FLORIDA SHERIFF SCOTT ISRAEL, BLAMED AT PARKLAND SHOOTING SHOTTING AFTER, Executes in State Supreme Court
Public defender Howard Finkelstein said Friday that his office would review Scherer's decision and could appeal.
"It's not a question of whether we want to stay on the case or not, but only if the law of Florida allows our services to be rendered," he said.
The Broward Attorney's Office declined to comment on Friday. Prosecutors and families of the victims objected to the dismissal of public defenders at Wednesday's hearing, saying that Cruz would not lose all the money that he could receive, but compel him to commit private lawyers would unnecessarily delay the scheduled start of his trial early next year. They also asked Scherer to consider the time and money already spent that would be wasted if Cruz had new lawyers.
Lynda Cruz died of pneumonia in November 2017, three months before the shooting. She left a pension worth about $ 865,000 to share between Cruz and his younger brother. Their father died more than ten years ago.
A MetLife lawyer told Scherer Wednesday that the two brothers could have received the money before the shooting, but none of them has yet made any claims. Jeannine Jacobson told Scherer that Cruz could give up half, giving full to his brother.
Public defenders said Cruz would plead guilty to life imprisonment. Prosecutors want the death penalty.
Cruz spent several years in schools for children with emotional and behavioral problems, but frequented Stoneman Douglas before being expelled about a year before the attack.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
[ad_2]
Source link