Nikolas Cruz was set to inherit $800,000 from his deceased adoptive parents, according to James and Kimberly Snead, the couple Cruz lived with before he killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
After his adoptive mother Lynda Cruz died in November, Cruz lived with a friend of his mother’s in Lantana. Cruz did not get along with the woman, and asked the Sneads’ son, his friend, if he could live with them. They agreed to take him in, they told the Sun Sentinel.
Videos by PopCulture.com
The Sneads think Cruz moved out of the Lantana home after arguing with his mother’s friend over money and his weapons. Cruz owned several weapons, including an AR-15-style rife he used in the shooting. The Sneads allowed Cruz to keep these weapons, as long as they were locked away and asked for their permission to use them.
Cruz told the couple that he was going to earn at least $800,000 from his deceased parents, the Sneads told the Sun Sentinel. He said he would earn most of the money after turning 22. The Sneads said they saw paperwork they believe proves that Cruz would be “very financially comfortable” when the inheritance kicked in.
Cruz also accused his mother’s friend of stealing money from him. The Sneads think he was the victim of identity theft, and later reported about $2,900 in fraudulent charges on his credit card.
Cruz and his brother, Zachary Cruz, were adopted at birth by Lynda and Roger Cruz. Roger Cruz died in 2004. Lynda died on Nov. 1 after a battle with pneumonia.
Cruz was reportedly very close to his mother, although he acted out and was abusive towards her. She reportedly called police to their home over 30 times. According to the details of one report, Cruz hit his mother with a vacuum cleaner hose and called her a “useless bitch” after she took away his Xbox “privileges.”
The last time she called police was in September 2016, a few months before Lynda moved the family out of their Parkland home, according to CNN.
The 19-year-old Cruz was also treated for depression, and the Sneads learned how his mother’s death impacted him. James Snead said Cruz was coddled by his mother. He had to be taught how to cook and do laundry. Cruz also did not drive, instead riding a bike to his job at a local Dollar Tree store.
“He was very naรฏve,” Snead told the Sun Sentinel. “He wasn’t dumb, just naรฏve.”
Cruz was charged with 17 counts of premeditated murder and is being held without bond. Fourteen of the victims were students, and the other three were teachers.
