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Parkland school shooting suspect due back in court Thursday afternoon

Posted at 5:04 AM, Feb 21, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-21 05:04:47-05

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Parkland school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz is due back in court for a status hearing on his death penalty case.

RELATED: More Parkland school shooting coverage

The hearing is set Thursday afternoon in Broward County Circuit Court. A number of matters could come up ranging from the pace of defense interviews of witnesses to a potential setting of a tentative trial date.

The 20-year-old Cruz is accused of killing 17 people and wounding 17 others in last year's massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. He is also accused of assaulting a jail corrections officer.

Cruz's attorneys have said he will plead guilty in return for a life prison sentence. Prosecutors have insisted instead on seeking the death penalty.