nikolas cruz

The confessed Parkland school shooter was back in a Broward County courtroom Wednesday morning, for the first hearing of the new year in the case of The State of Florida vs. Nikolas Cruz. 

Cruz faces 17 charges of first degree  murder and 17 charges of attempted first degree murder for the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School two years ago on February 14.

The confessed Parkland shooter was back in a Broward County courtroom Thursday afternoon for his last scheduled hearing of 2019. He wore large glasses and sat with his attorneys in the courtroom.

Nikolas Cruz's trial will not begin in January of 2020 as it was scheduled to. Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer postponed the start of the trial until at least the summer of 2020.

The next hearing in the case of the confessed Parkland shooter is scheduled for Thursday.

Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer is expected to consider a defense motion to delay the trial of Nikolas Cruz, who faces 17 charges of first degree murder and 17 charges of attempted murder for the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The trial is currently slated to begin with jury selection on Jan. 27.

The confessed Parkland shooter was in a Broward County courtroom Tuesday for a hearing. 

Defense attorneys for the confessed Parkland school shooter are warning that there could be drawbacks to starting his trial early next year.

Last week, Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer ordered prosecutors and Nikolas Cruz’s defense to be ready for jury selection by Jan. 27. But during a pre-trial hearing on Wednesday, defense attorneys said they need more time to finish interviewing witnesses and other preparations.

A date has been set for trial in the case of confessed Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz versus the State of Florida. 

Judge Elizabeth Scherer issued an order on Thursday announcing the pretrial motions will begin on January 13, 2020 and jury selection will start on January 27. 

"In February, 2019, this Court put all parties on notice that the trial in this matter would commence in January, 2020," the order states. 

The confessed-Parkland school shooter, Nikolas Cruz, had a bandage across the bridge of his nose as he stood and raised his handcuffed hand to address a Broward County Courtroom on Wednesday afternoon. 

Cruz spoke for himself under oath, instead of letting his team of public defenders speak for him as he has done in the past. He told Judge Elizabeth Scherer that he waives his right to be  present at future status hearings about his case, though he may have to be present at more substantive hearings.

Attorneys defending Nikolas Cruz are hoping to speak to people from Henderson Behavioral Health about their impressions while treating Cruz in years prior to the 2018 Parkland school shooting. 

Inside the courtroom the defense argued that if they are unable to speak with witnesses informally - that means without the state present - they would be “ineffective” in representing him against the death penalty.