Nikolas Cruz pleads guilty to 2018 Parkland school massacre that killed 17

A penalty trial will determine if Cruz will receive a sentence of death or life in prison without parole.

Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty to murder on Wednesday in the 2018 high school massacre in Parkland, Florida, that left 17 dead.

Cruz, 23, entered his pleas in a courtroom hearing attended by a dozen relatives of victims after answering a long list of questions from Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer aimed at confirming his mental competency. He was charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted first-degree murder for those wounded in the Feb. 14, 2018, attack at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, located just outside Fort Lauderdale.

 Scherer plans to begin screening jurors next month in hopes testimony can begin in January.

Read more from The Associated Press.

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