A Broward County judge entered a plea of not guilty on Wednesday for Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old gunman accused of killing 17 people in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February.
Cruz pleaded mute, meaning he would plea neither innocent or guilty. Following court procedure, Judge Elizabeth Scherer entered a plea of not guilty on behalf of Cruz on Wednesday, according to a report by the ABC affiliate Local 10 News.
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Last Wednesday, a Broward County grand jury indicted Cruz on 17 counts of first-degree premeditated murder and 17 counts of first-degree attempted murder.
Prosecutors said on Tuesday that they will seek the death penalty for Cruz.
Cruz’s public defender had said he would plead guilty if prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.
Thousands of children across the nation walked out of their schools on Wednesday to commemorate the one month anniversary of the Stoneman Douglas shooting.