Broward County, Fla., State Attorney Mike Satz said Saturday that now is not the time to discuss whether his office would seek the death penalty or make a plea deal with Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old accused of shooting and killing 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland Wednesday.
But he left little doubt that he thinks the death penalty would be appropriate for committing the massacre at the school.
"This certainly is the type of case the death penalty was designed for," Satz said in a statement. "This was a highly calculated and premeditated murder of 17 people and the attempted murder of everyone in that school. Our office will announce our formal position at the appropriate time."
Satz did not elaborate as to when the appropriate time may be, but said that "now is the time to let the families grieve and bury their children and loved ones."
Satz's statement came after Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein said Friday that Cruz would plead guilty in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table.
