The Florida State Attorney’s Office will seek the death penalty for Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old gunman who confessed to the Valentine’s Day attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that left 17 people dead and another 17 injured.
He was indicted by a grand jury on 17 counts of premeditated murder and 17 counts of attempted murder last Wednesday.
Broward County court filings show he withdrew his guilty plea on Thursday, and instead said he “stands mute” to the 34 charges.
“A written plea of not guilty was filed in this case prematurely before formal charges were filed,” read a document filed Thursday and signed by Cruz’s attorney Melisa McNeill. “Having now been indicted by the Grand Jury, the Defendant Nikolas Cruz withdraws that filing and Stands Mute to the Charges.”
When a defendant stands mute, it means he or she is not pleading guilty or not guilty. By standing mute last week, it showed Cruz’s attorney was likely expecting prosecutors would seek the death penalty.
Cruz has been held in the Broward County jail without bond since the attack, and is set to be formally arraigned tomorrow.
