Judge’s Mistake May See Parkland Shooter Avoid Death Penalty

Flowers, candles and mementos sit outside one of the makeshift memorials at in Parkland, Fla. on Feb. 27, 2018. Rhona Wise/AFP/Getty Images

PUNTA GORDA, Fla.—A Broward County Circuit judge’s procedural mistake on April 25 could cause the Parkland shooter to get a life sentence instead of the death penalty.

Attorneys for Nikolas Cruz—who is accused of murdering 17 students and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018—filed a motion asking Broward County Judge Elizabeth Scherer to end jury selection and prepare to sentence Cruz to life in prison because of a “mistake” she made in jury selections.