PARKLAND, Fla. (AP) — A newspaper reports the teen accused of fatally shooting 17 people at a Florida high school might be in line to receive a large inheritance.
FULL COVERAGE: Parkland school shooting
The Broward County Public Defender's Office filed a motion with the court on Tuesday to determine whether 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz was indigent and eligible for a taxpayer-funded defense. If not, he'll have to hire a private attorney.
An attorney for the family that Cruz was living with told the Miami Herald that Cruz told them of about an $800,000 inheritance from his mother that he was supposed to receive when he turned 22.
Cruz was arrested on Valentine's Day just hours after the deadly shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
A day later, the woman who took in Cruz's brother petitioned a court to be named the personal representative of Lynda Cruz's estate. The request is pending.
