Broward County, Fla. – A hearing is being held for Parkland School shooter Nicholas Cruz.

According to CNN, the defense is expected to waive a speedy trial and a court date may be set.

Cruz, 19, is the main suspect in the killing of 17 people at Majory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, back on February 14.

Cruz faces 17 counts of first degree murder and 17 counts of attempted murder.

Prosecution in the case will be seeking the death penalty.

Nikolas Cruz and his brother might have $1 million in bank, attorney says </s> FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz is due back in court for a hearing designed to get the death penalty case moving forward.

The hearing Friday afternoon is expected to deal with several procedural issues, possibly including the setting of an initial trial date.

RECOMMENDED: Why Nikolas Cruz's death penalty trial would be complicated

Cruz’s public defender also is likely to ask to waive Florida’s speedy trial rule. The rule generally requires that a felony defendant go to trial within 175 days of arrest unless it’s waived.

The 19-year-old Cruz is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

His lawyer says Cruz would plead guilty if guaranteed a sentence of life without parole, but prosecutors seek the death penalty. </s> A Florida judge has ordered that the suspect in a deadly shooting rampage at a high school will be held without bond on 17 counts of murder.

Nikolas Cruz, 19, was wearing an orange jumpsuit with his hands cuffed at his waist during the Thursday afternoon hearing.

His attorney did not contest the order and had her arm around Cruz during the brief court appearance.

Cruz is accused of opening fire Wednesday afternoon at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, killing 17 people. </s> FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - Parkland school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz is due back in court Friday for a hearing designed to get the death penalty case moving forward.

The hearing Friday afternoon is expected to deal with several procedural issues, possibly including the setting of an initial trial date.

Cruz's public defender also is likely to ask to waive Florida's speedy trial rule. The rule generally requires that a felony defendant go to trial within 175 days of arrest unless it's waived.

Cruz, 19, is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

His lawyer says Cruz would plead guilty if he was guaranteed a sentence of life without parole, but prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz, looks up while in court for a hearing in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., Friday, April 27, 2018. The hearing is expected to deal with several procedural issues possibly including setting an initial trial date. Cruz is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14, 2018 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla. (Taimy Alvarez/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A judge sought Friday to get things moving in the death penalty case against Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz.

Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer set a May 4 deadline at a hearing Friday for defense lawyers to file a demand for evidence from prosecutors, who would then begin turning it over.

Scherer also granted a request by Cruz's public defender to waive Florida's speedy trial rule. The rule generally requires that a felony defendant go to trial within 175 days of arrest unless it's waived, which is commonly done in complex or major cases because the defense typically needs more time to prepare.

"I explained to him his constitutional right to a speedy trial," assistant public defender Melisa McNeill said.

The judge set a May 25 hearing to gauge progress in the case "so we can move things along and set a proposed trial date."

"I don't want this case treading water," Scherer said.

Cruz, 19, is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. His lawyers have repeatedly said Cruz would plead guilty if guaranteed a sentence of life without parole, but prosecutors seek the death penalty.

As in past hearings, Cruz spoke only to his lawyers and sat shackled at a defense table with his head bowed. He made no eye contact with the audience, which included his younger brother, Zachary.

Also Friday, attorneys for the family of shooting victim Joaquin Oliver, 17, called on the Broward County School Board not to attempt to limit total liability in future lawsuits to only $300,000. A lawyer for the board has signaled that the Stoneman Douglas shooting should be considered a single occurrence with numerous victims — which would impose that dollar limit — rather than 34 separate occurrences.

"The school board is watching after its financial best interest instead of that of the families it has publicly claimed it would continuously support," said Michael Haggard, who represents the Oliver family in one of many expected lawsuits against several government entities.

The school board issued a statement saying it is following state law in terms of the caps on damages a government agency can be forced to pay in a lawsuit. The statement added that schools officials are actively involved in several efforts to raise money for victims and families and suggested they could also seek a larger payment from the Florida Legislature.

"The district remains committed to providing support and resources for all those impacted by this tragedy," the statement said.

Elsewhere, the Broward school board is looking into claims that a Stoneman Douglas teacher said a student was acting like Adolf Hitler.

The SunSentinel reports the controversy involves history teacher Greg Pittman, who supports gun control, and junior Kyle Kashuv, who has defended gun rights after the mass shooting at their school.

Kashuv tweeted that three students told him Pittman said "Kyle is acting like the next Hitler."

Kashuv had complained about being questioned by school security after posting photos of him holding an AR-15 assault rifle at a gun range.

The paper says Pittman then tweeted that "you don't have to be the sharpest tack in the box" to understand why authorities might ask questions after a school shooting. </s> - Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz is back in court for a hearing designed to get the death penalty case moving forward.

The hearing Friday afternoon is expected to deal with several procedural issues, possibly including the setting of an initial trial date.

The hearing has been delayed a few minutes due to a shortage of courtroom staff. </s> FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) — Self-confessed Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz is expected to be in court Friday afternoon for a new hearing.

Attorneys will be dealing with several procedural issues including possibly setting a trial date.

Cruz’s public defender may also ask to waive a speedy trial. The rule generally requires that a felony defendant go to trial within 175 days of arrest unless it’s waived.

Cruz, 19, is charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.

Broward County prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty despite his attorney’s offer of a guilty plea in exchange for a life sentence.

If prosecutors seek the death penalty, Cruz will join a short list of mass shooting suspects who’ve faced their victims in court. Of the 10 deadliest shootings in recent US history, Cruz is the only one who was captured alive. </s> Seventeen people are dead after a shooting at a south Florida high school on Wednesday. The man suspected has been identified as 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz.

Here's what we know about him:

Cruz is a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where the shooting happened. He was expelled due to disciplinary issues.

Cruz had multiple magazines and one AR-15 rifle.

Cruz started shooting outside and then went inside the school.

Law enforcement has been looking at his social media. They say "Some of the things ... are very, very disturbing."

According to USA Today, teachers and former students say Cruz had an angry disposition that led to him being expelled and flagged as a danger on school grounds. He had previously attracted so much concern that school administrators banned him from campus, said Jim Gard, a math teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, USA Today reports.

Cruz' former classmates say he had a hot temper and a history of making dark, gun-related jokes, according to USA Today.

Cruz is in custody. Of the seventeen fatalities, 12 happened inside the school, two just outside the school, one on street and two people died at the hospital. </s> 19-year-old former student Nikolaus Cruz opened fire at a South Florida high school killing at least 17 people.

According to Broward County Sherriff department Cruz, had been expelled from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida for disciplinary reasons.

Also On The Light 103.9 FM:
Nikolas Cruz, the accused suspect of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School, is due to be in court. The hearing is expected to deal with several procedural issues, possibly including the setting of an initial trial date.