Confessed gunman Nikolas Cruz may be eligible to have his lawyer fees paid for by the State of Florida.
According to legal documents filed by the Broward County Public Defender’s Office and obtained by TMZ, a probate case has been opened in the death of Lynda Cruz, the 19-year-old’s mother, who died of pneumonia on Nov. 1. While the Public Defender’s Office notes that Cruz has already been found indigent and therefore eligible for a lawyer by the court clerk, funds from his mother’s estate or a possible life insurance policy could disqualify him from having his lawyer fees paid.
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It was previously reported that Cruz was set to inherit $800,000 from his late adoptive parents. Cruz allegedly told James and Kimberly Snead, the couple that Cruz had been living with after his parents’ deaths, that he would inherit the money after he turned 22.
The Public Defender’s Office is requesting that a judge review the various financials to determine if Cruz is still eligible for a court-appointed lawyer.
Cruz is facing 17 counts of premeditated murder after the Valentine’s Day mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where the 19-year-old had previously been expelled. It is said that Cruz entered the building and opened fire with an AR-15, which he had legally purchased about a year before, killing 17 students and adults and wounding more than a dozen.
It is believed that Cruz managed to escape the scene by concealing “himself in the crowd and was among those running out of the school.” Investigators combed through security footage at the school in order to identify Cruz, which led to his arrest “in a nearby neighborhood in Coral Springs” by Coconut Creek PD within two hours of the shooting. He was taken into custody without incident and transported to a local hospital for exhibiting labored breathing. Upon being released back into police custody, he was taken to a police station for questioning.
Cruz has confessed to the shooting.
