FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Parkland school shooter Nikolas Cruz cannot keep his full confession from being disclosed to the public just because his case has generated a mountain of publicity, a Broward County judge ruled Wednesday.
Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer's order rejects defense arguments seeking to keep Cruz's statement secret until trial.
"The fact that the instant matter may be considered 'high profile' does not in itself give defendant the right to close the flow of information to the public," Scherer wrote. "No evidence was shown that public disclosure ... would result in a serious and imminent threat to the administration of justice in this case."
Cruz spoke to investigators for 13 hours after his arrest on Feb. 14. During that time, he admitted going onto the campus of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School with an AR-15 style rifle and gunning down 17 people, injuring 17 more.
Defense lawyers have publicly conceded his guilt and have focused on trying to avoid the death penalty for Cruz, 19, a former student at the school.
Thursday's ruling was the second this week favoring the release of information related to the case.
On Wednesday, an appeals court ordered the Broward Sheriff's Office to release video footage from outside the school during Cruz's rampage.
Scherer's ruling does not permit the release of what lawyers call the "substance" of Cruz's confession, meaning his descriptions of the actual shooting.
In May, prosecutors released three cellphone videos in which Cruz could be heard smugly plotting the rampage.
Defense lawyers have 10 days to appeal Scherer's ruling.
