Jury selection for the murder trial of the man charged with the shooting deaths of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, is set for January 27, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel is reporting.
Nikolas Cruz, 21, is facing 17 first-degree murder charges. He faces the death penalty if convicted on any one of the charges. He is also charged with 17 counts of attempted murder.
The charges stem from the Feb. 14, 2018 massacre at the high school outside.
Assistant Public Defender Gordon Weeks, who is representing Cruz, said the January start date will cause problems for the defense. The date was set by Broward County Circuit Court judge on Thursday
“The timeline is not realistic, given how much work needs to be done to prepare," he said. "We’ve tried to make it clear at every hearing that this is an enormous case, and it seems to us that setting a January trial date is a political move that serves no judicial purpose.”
He said he likely will file for a continuance as early as next week.
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