The death penalty trial for Nikolas Cruz, the man who confessed to killing 17 students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, has been indefinitely put on pause.
Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer made the announcement during a Monday hearing that was held remotely because of the COVID-19 pandemic. She said it is unclear when the courthouse, which has been closed since March, will be able to reopen.
“We have to take it one day at a time, quite frankly,” the judge said, according to the Associated Press. “We’re not there yet. When we are, I don’t know.”
Cruz, now 21, has been charged with the deaths of 17 people and for wounding 17 others during the February 2018 massacre. His lawyers have said he is willing to plead guilty in order to avoid the death penalty, but prosecutors are still moving forward with what would be one of the most highly publicized trials in Florida history.
Gabriel Ermine, one of Cruz’s court-appointed lawyers, said some two-dozen witness depositions have been delayed because of the coronavirus pandemic. He also said defense-team experts looking to interview Cruz about his mental health have not been able to visit the jail where he is being held.
“We are ready to have them go in once everything is safe,” Ermine said.
Florida has had more than 100,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and at least 3,172 deaths, according to the most recent tally by the New York Times.
