Nikolas Cruz's possible inheritance of up to $800,000 may go the Parkland, Florida school shooting victims if the alleged gunman has his way, according to his court-appointed attorney on Wednesday.
During a hearing in Broward County Circuit Court in Fort Lauderdale to determine if he could afford an attorney, public defender Melissa McNeill said Cruz, 19, made the request that any inheritance go to the families of the shooting victims, ABC News reported.
"Just so the court is aware, Mr. Cruz does not want those funds," McNeill told Judge Elizabeth Scherer during the hearing. "He would like that money donated to an organization that the victims' families believe would be able to facilitate the healing in our community."
ABC News said getting to the money – along with determining how much Cruz actually stands to gain – remains a mystery. His mother, Lynda Cruz, died Nov. 1, leaving Nikolas Cruz with $25,000 from a life insurance policy, Broward County Public Defender Howard Finkelstein said in the hearing.
McNeill told the court that Cruz's mother may have also left an annuity behind, but its worth remains up in the air. She said that $3,333 from the annuity was deposited into Nikolas Cruz's checking account just prior to his mother's death in November, but no similar deposits have appeared since.
Finkelstein told the court that if such annuity deposits were to be made to Cruz's account monthly, he stands to reap up to $800,000, ABC News said.
The Miami Herald reported last month that Boca Raton attorney Audra Simovitch filed an amended petition in Broward County probate court in March asking that Rocxanne Deschamps, a friend of Cruz's mother who cared for Cruz and his younger brother after their mother died, should not be appointed to represent the estate.
Simovitch, who was retained by Nikolas Cruz as the probate attorney for the estate of his mother, is asking the court to appoint an independent personal representative. Simovitch started representing Cruz one day before his alleged Feb. 14 shooting rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School that killed 17 and injured 17 others, the Herald said.
"It is my understanding there has been a delay in the administration of the estate that it is ongoing," McNeill told the court, per ABC News. "Mr. Cruz is, in fact, potentially a beneficiary of those funds. However, there have been multiple claims already filed against the estate of Lynda Cruz and there are multiple lawsuits that have been filed against Mr. Cruz."
Scherer said she will make a decision on Cruz's eligibility for a public defender by April 27, ABC News said.
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