May 3 (UPI) -- A judge in Florida on Friday denied lawyers' request to no longer defend confessed Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz because of his access to a $430,000 annuity left to him by his deceased mother.
Broward County Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer said the county's public defender's office must continue to represent Nikolas Cruz, 20, because he likely won't be able to access the annuity. And even if he did. the funds wouldn't be enough to cover the cost of a criminal defense attorney to represent him at trial.